Comprehensive comparison and engineering application analysis of alumina, zirconia, silicon carbide and silicon nitride ceramics aluminum nitride wafer

Product Summary

Advanced architectural ceramics, as a result of their unique crystal framework and chemical bond features, show efficiency benefits that steels and polymer products can not match in severe environments. Alumina (Al ₂ O TWO), zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂), silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon nitride (Si five N FOUR) are the four significant mainstream design porcelains, and there are necessary differences in their microstructures: Al two O five belongs to the hexagonal crystal system and counts on solid ionic bonds; ZrO ₂ has three crystal forms: monoclinic (m), tetragonal (t) and cubic (c), and obtains unique mechanical residential or commercial properties with stage modification strengthening system; SiC and Si Two N ₄ are non-oxide ceramics with covalent bonds as the main part, and have more powerful chemical stability. These architectural distinctions directly result in substantial distinctions in the prep work procedure, physical homes and design applications of the 4. This write-up will methodically examine the preparation-structure-performance relationship of these four ceramics from the perspective of products science, and discover their leads for commercial application.


(Alumina Ceramic)

Preparation process and microstructure control

In regards to preparation process, the 4 porcelains show apparent distinctions in technical paths. Alumina ceramics use a relatively conventional sintering procedure, usually using α-Al ₂ O three powder with a pureness of greater than 99.5%, and sintering at 1600-1800 ° C after completely dry pressing. The secret to its microstructure control is to inhibit irregular grain growth, and 0.1-0.5 wt% MgO is generally included as a grain border diffusion prevention. Zirconia ceramics need to introduce stabilizers such as 3mol% Y ₂ O four to preserve the metastable tetragonal stage (t-ZrO two), and use low-temperature sintering at 1450-1550 ° C to avoid extreme grain development. The core procedure challenge lies in properly managing the t → m phase shift temperature window (Ms point). Since silicon carbide has a covalent bond ratio of as much as 88%, solid-state sintering calls for a heat of greater than 2100 ° C and relies upon sintering help such as B-C-Al to develop a fluid stage. The response sintering approach (RBSC) can accomplish densification at 1400 ° C by infiltrating Si+C preforms with silicon thaw, however 5-15% totally free Si will certainly stay. The prep work of silicon nitride is the most intricate, normally utilizing general practitioner (gas pressure sintering) or HIP (hot isostatic pushing) processes, including Y TWO O SIX-Al two O six collection sintering help to form an intercrystalline glass stage, and warmth treatment after sintering to crystallize the glass phase can substantially enhance high-temperature efficiency.


( Zirconia Ceramic)

Comparison of mechanical residential properties and strengthening mechanism

Mechanical residential or commercial properties are the core assessment indicators of architectural porcelains. The four types of materials show totally different conditioning systems:


( Mechanical properties comparison of advanced ceramics)

Alumina mostly relies on fine grain conditioning. When the grain size is lowered from 10μm to 1μm, the toughness can be raised by 2-3 times. The superb sturdiness of zirconia originates from the stress-induced phase makeover system. The tension field at the fracture idea causes the t → m phase improvement gone along with by a 4% volume growth, causing a compressive stress and anxiety securing impact. Silicon carbide can boost the grain border bonding strength via solid solution of elements such as Al-N-B, while the rod-shaped β-Si five N four grains of silicon nitride can produce a pull-out effect comparable to fiber toughening. Break deflection and connecting add to the improvement of sturdiness. It deserves noting that by building multiphase ceramics such as ZrO ₂-Si Three N ₄ or SiC-Al ₂ O TWO, a variety of strengthening systems can be coordinated to make KIC exceed 15MPa · m 1ST/ TWO.

Thermophysical buildings and high-temperature behavior

High-temperature security is the vital benefit of architectural ceramics that distinguishes them from standard materials:


(Thermophysical properties of engineering ceramics)

Silicon carbide shows the most effective thermal administration efficiency, with a thermal conductivity of up to 170W/m · K(comparable to light weight aluminum alloy), which is because of its straightforward Si-C tetrahedral structure and high phonon propagation rate. The reduced thermal expansion coefficient of silicon nitride (3.2 × 10 ⁻⁶/ K) makes it have excellent thermal shock resistance, and the essential ΔT worth can reach 800 ° C, which is especially appropriate for repeated thermal cycling settings. Although zirconium oxide has the highest possible melting point, the conditioning of the grain limit glass stage at heat will certainly cause a sharp drop in toughness. By embracing nano-composite innovation, it can be boosted to 1500 ° C and still preserve 500MPa stamina. Alumina will experience grain boundary slip over 1000 ° C, and the enhancement of nano ZrO two can form a pinning result to prevent high-temperature creep.

Chemical stability and corrosion actions

In a destructive setting, the 4 types of ceramics show dramatically different failure mechanisms. Alumina will certainly dissolve externally in strong acid (pH <2) and strong alkali (pH > 12) remedies, and the corrosion price rises greatly with increasing temperature level, reaching 1mm/year in boiling focused hydrochloric acid. Zirconia has excellent resistance to not natural acids, however will undertake reduced temperature level deterioration (LTD) in water vapor settings over 300 ° C, and the t → m stage transition will certainly result in the formation of a tiny crack network. The SiO two protective layer based on the surface area of silicon carbide gives it superb oxidation resistance below 1200 ° C, however soluble silicates will be generated in liquified antacids steel settings. The corrosion habits of silicon nitride is anisotropic, and the corrosion rate along the c-axis is 3-5 times that of the a-axis. NH Four and Si(OH)₄ will be generated in high-temperature and high-pressure water vapor, causing product bosom. By optimizing the composition, such as preparing O’-SiAlON ceramics, the alkali corrosion resistance can be increased by more than 10 times.


( Silicon Carbide Disc)

Normal Engineering Applications and Case Studies

In the aerospace area, NASA makes use of reaction-sintered SiC for the leading side elements of the X-43A hypersonic airplane, which can stand up to 1700 ° C wind resistant heating. GE Aviation makes use of HIP-Si four N four to manufacture wind turbine rotor blades, which is 60% lighter than nickel-based alloys and permits higher operating temperatures. In the medical area, the fracture toughness of 3Y-TZP zirconia all-ceramic crowns has reached 1400MPa, and the life span can be extended to greater than 15 years via surface area gradient nano-processing. In the semiconductor sector, high-purity Al ₂ O three ceramics (99.99%) are used as cavity products for wafer etching equipment, and the plasma corrosion price is <0.1μm/hour. The SiC-Al₂O₃ composite armor developed by Kyocera in Japan can achieve a V50 ballistic limit of 1800m/s, which is 30% thinner than traditional Al₂O₃ armor.

Technical challenges and development trends

The main technical bottlenecks currently faced include: long-term aging of zirconia (strength decay of 30-50% after 10 years), sintering deformation control of large-size SiC ceramics (warpage of > 500mm parts < 0.1 mm ), and high production cost of silicon nitride(aerospace-grade HIP-Si three N four reaches $ 2000/kg). The frontier growth directions are focused on: ① Bionic framework design(such as covering layered structure to raise toughness by 5 times); ② Ultra-high temperature level sintering technology( such as spark plasma sintering can achieve densification within 10 mins); six Smart self-healing porcelains (consisting of low-temperature eutectic phase can self-heal splits at 800 ° C); four Additive manufacturing innovation (photocuring 3D printing precision has reached ± 25μm).


( Silicon Nitride Ceramics Tube)

Future advancement trends

In a comprehensive comparison, alumina will certainly still dominate the conventional ceramic market with its cost benefit, zirconia is irreplaceable in the biomedical area, silicon carbide is the preferred material for severe atmospheres, and silicon nitride has fantastic possible in the area of high-end equipment. In the next 5-10 years, through the combination of multi-scale architectural policy and smart production modern technology, the performance boundaries of design porcelains are expected to attain new breakthroughs: for instance, the layout of nano-layered SiC/C ceramics can attain strength of 15MPa · m 1ST/ ², and the thermal conductivity of graphene-modified Al two O three can be raised to 65W/m · K. With the development of the “twin carbon” approach, the application scale of these high-performance ceramics in new energy (fuel cell diaphragms, hydrogen storage materials), eco-friendly production (wear-resistant parts life boosted by 3-5 times) and various other areas is expected to maintain an ordinary yearly growth rate of greater than 12%.

Supplier

Advanced Ceramics founded on October 17, 2012, is a high-tech enterprise committed to the research and development, production, processing, sales and technical services of ceramic relative materials and products. Our products includes but not limited to Boron Carbide Ceramic Products, Boron Nitride Ceramic Products, Silicon Carbide Ceramic Products, Silicon Nitride Ceramic Products, Zirconium Dioxide Ceramic Products, etc. If you are interested in aluminum nitride wafer, please feel free to contact us.(nanotrun@yahoo.com)

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