Antimony is used mostly as lead and tin-based alloys for batteries, cable sheath manufacture, as bearing alloys (babbit metal), type metals and so on. Such alloys have increased hardness, wearing quality, are corrosion resistant. Antimony is used also for electroluminescent lamps calcium halophosphate activation. Antimony is increasingly being used in the semiconductor industry as germanium and silicon dopant as well as a constituent part of antimonides, such as InSb. Antimony radioactive isotope is used in gamma-radiation and neutron sources.
In medicine solusurminum and other antimony-based medications are used for treatment of leishmaniasis and some of helminthiasis (for instance schistosomiasis). |