by Phoebe May
Nickel might not sound like the most exciting metal, but it is everywhere – from the coins in
your pocket to the batteries in your gadgets. It can even be found in meteorites.
What is nickel and where is it used?
Nickel is a silvery-white metal that is strong, resistant to rust, and can withstand high temperatures. This metal is found deep underground, often mixed with other metals like iron and copper (the mix is called an ore) before being extracted.
The name ‘nickel’ originates from ‘Kupfernickel’, meaning ‘Devil’s Copper’ in German, as miners originally thought the brown-red nickel ore they discovered was a copper ore.
It might not be obvious, but nickel is a part of everyday life. For example, coins, batteries, stainless steel, aircraft/rockets and jewellery all have some proportion of nickel in them. The addition of nickel to parts, like the ones listed, is done to achieve specific properties such as improved strength and chemical resistance. Nickel is also commonly added to materials to change their appearance. For example, it can be added to glass to give it a green colour, or to other metals in jewellery to give a desirable shine.
Disadvantages of superalloys
Even though nickel has advantages (such as high rust resistance, durability, and heat resistance), it does have some disadvantages too, such as:
Cost – as nickel is used for lots of things, its demand and cost can be high.
Environment – mining and extracting nickel can be damaging to the environment if not done correctly.
Allergies – Nickel used in jewellery/watches can cause some people’s skin to have a bad reaction.
What’s in a name? Meteoroids, Meteors and Meteorites
Nitinol – a shape memory alloy that contains nickel.
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