Niobium, a rare earth metal, is used in practically everything. Wind turbines, jet engines, airplane bodies, high-pressure pipelines, superconducting magnets, bridges, brake discs, and the steel frames of skyscrapers all become better, tougher, and more lightweight with a bit of niobium added. It has also become part of an unexpected geopolitical dispute between Brazil and China.
Tiny amounts of niobium can make the steel used in construction twice as strong and more resistant to cracking. It’s “the pinch of salt you put in your rice when you’re cooking,” Adalberto Parreira, the executive director of CBMM, told Rest of World
https://restofworld.org/2020/niobium-the-mighty-element-youve-never-heard-of