Editing Thorium dioxide (section)

===Alloys===
Thorium dioxide is used as a stabilizer in [[tungsten]] electrodes in [[tungsten inert gas welding|TIG welding]], electron tubes, and aircraft gas turbine engines.  As an alloy, thoriated tungsten metal is not easily deformed because the high-fusion material thoria augments the high-temperature mechanical properties, and thorium helps stimulate the emission of [[electron]]s ([[thermion]]s).  It is the most popular oxide additive because of its low cost, but is being phased out in favor of non-radioactive elements such as [[cerium]], [[lanthanum]] and [[zirconium]].

Thoria-dispersed nickel finds its applications in various high-temperature operations like combustion engines because it is a good creep-resistant material. It can also be used for hydrogen trapping.<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iQQcERxsNywC&pg=PA473 | page = 473 | isbn = 978-0-471-43623-2 | title = An Introduction to Materials Engineering. and Science for Chemical and Materials. | author1 = Mitchell, Brian S | year = 2004 | publisher = John Wiley & Sons }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | first = Wayne M. | last = Robertson | title = Measurement and evaluation of hydrogen trapping in thoria dispersed nickel | journal = Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A | volume = 10 | issue = 4 | year = 1979 |doi = 10.1007/BF02697077 | pages =489&ndash;501 | bibcode = 1979MTA....10..489R | s2cid = 137105492 }}</ref><ref name="KumarNasrallah1974">{{cite journal|last1=Kumar|first1=Arun|last2=Nasrallah|first2=M.|last3=Douglass|first3=D. L.|title=The effect of yttrium and thorium on the oxidation behavior of Ni-Cr-Al alloys|journal=Oxidation of Metals|volume=8|issue=4|year=1974|pages=227–263|issn=0030-770X|doi=10.1007/BF00604042|hdl=2060/19740015001|s2cid=95399863|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name="StringerWilcox1972">{{cite journal|last1=Stringer|first1=J.|last2=Wilcox|first2=B. A.|last3=Jaffee|first3=R. I.|title=The high-temperature oxidation of nickel-20 wt.% chromium alloys containing dispersed oxide phases|journal=Oxidation of Metals|volume=5|issue=1|year=1972|pages=11–47|issn=0030-770X|doi=10.1007/BF00614617|s2cid=92103123}}</ref><ref name="Murr1974">{{cite journal|last1=Murr|first1=L. E.|title=Interfacial energetics in the TD-nickel and TD-nichrome systems|journal=Journal of Materials Science|volume=9|issue=8|year=1974|pages=1309–1319|issn=0022-2461|doi=10.1007/BF00551849|bibcode=1974JMatS...9.1309M |s2cid=96573790}}</ref>