Metallurgical Molybdenum and Its Derivative Materials: From Traditional Alloys to Two-Dimensional Functional Systems

Molybdenum, a rare metal of exceptional strategic importance, is widely utilized in critical sectors such as the nuclear industry, aerospace, and electronics due to its outstanding properties. In recent years, growing global demand for molybdenum and its derivative materials has led to a persistent supply-demand gap in the industry, prompting domestic manufacturers to transition toward developing advanced molybdenum-based new materials. (Delete this sentence) This review systematically examines the types and properties of common molybdenum alloys, the fundamental characteristics of molybdenum disulfide, and the principles of mainstream preparation methods including powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing, while highlighting the applications of molybdenum derivatives across various fields. Additionally, it explores strategies for high-quality development in the molybdenum-based materials sector from three perspectives—material composition, integrated innovation in advanced fabrication processes, and industrialization of two-dimensional molybdenum-based materials—and outlines future trends. The study aims to provide theoretical foundations for fundamental research, technological advancement, and practical applications of molybdenum-based materials. (Molybdenum, a strategically important rare metal, occupies an irreplaceable position in high-end fields such as nuclear industry, aerospace, and electronics, owing to its high melting point, excellent high-temperature strength, good thermal and electrical conductivity, and corrosion resistance. With the global energy transition and upgrading of advanced manufacturing, the supply-demand gap for molybdenum materials has become increasingly prominent, and China’s molybdenum industry is shifting from resource export to high-end material manufacturing. This review systematically summarizes the research progress of molybdenum-based materials from traditional alloys to two-dimensional functional systems. First, the compositions, properties, and limitations of five commonly used molybdenum alloys—TZM, Mo-Re, Mo-W, Mo-Cu, and Mo-La 2 O 3 —are outlined. Second, the principles, advantages, and existing challenges of mainstream fabrication routes are elaborated, including powder metallurgy (mechanical alloying, isostatic pressing, powder injection molding, spark plasma sintering, and liquid-phase sintering) and additive manufacturing (electron beam selective melting and laser powder bed fusion). Third, taking molybdenum disulfide as a representative, the layered crystal structure of molybdenum-based ceramic materials and their application potential and challenges in electronic devices, optoelectronic sensing, and biomedical detection are analyzed. Furthermore, this review proposes development strategies for the high-quality advancement of the molybdenum-based materials industry from three perspectives—precise alloy composition design, integrated innovation of advanced preparation processes, and industrialization of two-dimensional molybdenum-based materials—and provides an outlook on future trends. This review aims to offer systematic theoretical references for fundamental research, technological development, and engineering applications of molybdenum-based materials, thereby promoting the high-value-added utilization of molybdenum resources and the self-reliance of the industrial chain in China).