August 2022 – Zirconium Metal

3 Types of Zirconium Based Getter Materials

Zirconium-based getter material refers to the alloy with high absorption active gas characteristics formed by adding other elements based on zirconium.

Before sealing in vacuum tubes and devices, the material must be heated and activated under vacuum conditions for fast and effective gettering. The function of activation is to remove the passivation film formed on the surface during the manufacturing and storage process to expose the fresh surface, which is conducive to the overall gettering, so as to achieve the purpose of absorbing a large amount of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and water vapor.

Zirconium-aluminum alloy, zirconium-graphite, and zirconium-vanadium-iron alloy are widely used zirconium-based getter materials today.

Zirconium-aluminum alloy getter

Zirconium-aluminum alloy getter can be made into ring-shaped material and composite strip-shaped material.

(1) Ring-shaped material. The material has poor gettering performance at room temperature and is usually not used for gettering at room temperature. This material is commonly used in electronic tubes, various vacuum devices, special lamps, inert gas purification, zirconium-aluminum getter pumps, etc.

(2) Composite strip material. The advantage is that the amount of mercury can be accurately controlled, and it does not decompose or generate mercury vapor below 500°C, thereby greatly reducing environmental pollution, preventing workers from mercury poisoning, and improving lamp quality and life. It has been widely used in fluorescent lamps and energy-saving lamps.

Zirconium graphite getter

Zirconium graphite getter is often used in high-reliability and long-life vacuum tubes and devices for long-term operation and storage, such as traveling wave tubes, X-ray tubes, trigger tubes, ceramic tubes, and laser tubes.

Zirconium-vanadium-iron alloy getter

Zirconium-vanadium-iron alloy getter is a low-temperature activated getter material composed of zirconium, vanadium, and a small amount of iron. It is divided into two types:

(1) Zirconium vanadium ferroalloy getter material, smelted by 70%zr+24.6%V+5.4%Fe in electric arc furnace or medium frequency induction furnace under vacuum or filled with inert gas, then crushed, pulverized, and then pressed into getter elements.

(2) (Zirconium vanadium ferro)/zirconium getter material. It is made by adding the zirconium vanadium ferroalloy powder prepared in (1), adding zirconium powder in a certain proportion, mixing evenly, and then pressing, high temperature and high vacuum sintering and other processes. into a suction element. Product forms are powder, flakes, rings, and strips.

These two zirconium-vanadium-iron alloy getters are low-temperature activated getters, and the activation process is as follows: the temperature is 400-600°C, the vacuum degree is 10-2-10-4Pa, and the maintenance is 10-30min. The working temperature is from room temperature to 350℃.

Zirconium-vanadium-iron alloy getter is widely used in stainless steel vacuum insulated cups (bottles), solar vacuum water heaters, high-efficiency oil-insulated pipes, and vacuum tube containers that are only allowed to operate at 500°C.

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Zirconium Carbide and Its Composite Functional Materials

Introduction

Zirconium carbide, with the chemical formula ZrC, has a theoretical carbon content of 11.64%. It belongs to the typical NaCl type face-centered cubic structure. The atomic radius ratio of C atoms and Zr atoms is 0.481, which is less than 0.59, forming a simple interstitial phase. The Zr atoms form a compact cubic lattice, and the C atoms are located in the octahedral interstitial positions of the lattice.

The melting point of zirconium carbide is 3540℃, the theoretical density is 6.66g/cm3, and the thermal expansion coefficient is 6.7×10-6℃-1. It is insoluble in hydrochloric acid, but soluble in nitric acid. Zirconium carbide is a key material for the preparation of high-performance cemented carbide, aerospace, atomic energy, textiles, electronics, coatings, hard films and metallurgical automation and other high-tech fields.

Advantages

Zirconium carbide has the advantages of high surface activity, high temperature resistance, oxidation resistance, high hardness, good thermal conductivity, good toughness, etc., and has the characteristics of efficient absorption of visible light, a reflection of infrared rays, and energy storage. It is an important high-temperature structural material.

Using ultra-high-purity zirconium dioxide and high-purity carbon black as raw materials, and applying core technology and alloying and sintering technology to prepare, can ensure the purity, low oxygen content, and low free carbon of zirconium carbide powder. The prepared ZrC powder has densified grains, stable phase composition, uniform particle size, and stable quality.

Application

1. Zirconium carbide is added to rubber, plastics, polyethylene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer ABS plastics, transparent plastics, resins, polyurethane materials, and other materials for manufacturing related products. As an additive, zirconium carbide can greatly improve the strength, high-temperature resistance, and drop resistance of plastics and related materials.

2. Adding a certain proportion of zirconium carbide to Zr-Ti alloy, C/C-(Zr-Ti-C-B/SiC) composite material, and Zr-Ti-C-B ceramic material can be made into a ceramic coating resistant to 3000℃ ablation and its composite materials. The composite material made in this way exhibits superior ablation resistance and thermal shock resistance and is a new type of material for key components of hypersonic aircraft, which is now widely used in the military and aerospace fields.

3. Zirconium carbide has the characteristics of heat absorption and heat storage. Therefore, it can be used to manufacture solid propellants in rocket engines, to produce metal zirconium and zirconium tetrachloride, and as abrasive.

4. Zirconium carbide is used for U-shaped ZrC-graphite composite ceramic combined heating element. This heating element has high heating efficiency, good energy saving effect, small occupied volume, low cold end temperature, and stable electrical performance; under vacuum, neutral or reducing atmosphere, it can provide a high-temperature environment above 2000 ℃; it has good It has excellent thermal shock resistance, high thermal efficiency, and fast heating rate, and can be raised from room temperature to 2000 ° C in 120 minutes; it can be used for thermal shock resistance test of ultra-high temperature refractory materials.

5. Zirconium carbide is used for zirconium carbide composite ceramic sensors. This sensor has high mechanical strength, is not easy to deform and volatilize at high temperatures, and has stable electrical performance and long service life; in a vacuum or protective atmosphere, it can more accurately measure ultra-high temperature ambient temperature below 3000 °C; it is the temperature sensing element with the highest temperature measurable in the contact sensor.

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Zirconium – A Vacuum Material

Properties of Zirconium

Zirconium easily absorbs hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen; zirconium has a strong affinity for oxygen, and oxygen dissolved in zirconium at 1000°C can significantly increase its volume. The surface of zirconium is easy to form an oxide film with luster, so its appearance is similar to that of steel. Zirconium is resistant to corrosion but is soluble in hydrofluoric acid and aqua regia. At high temperatures, zirconium can react with non-metallic elements and many metal elements to form solid solutions. Zirconium has good plasticity and is easy to be processed into plates, wires, etc. Zirconium can absorb a large amount of oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and other gases when heated, and can be used as a hydrogen storage material. The corrosion resistance of zirconium is better than that of titanium, and it is close to niobium and tantalum. Zirconium and hafnium are two metals with similar chemical properties that are symbiotic together and contain radioactive substances.

Applications of Zirconium

Like lithium and titanium, zirconium can strongly absorb nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, and other gases. When the temperature exceeds 900 degrees Celsius, zirconium can absorb nitrogen violently; under the condition of 200 degrees Celsius, 100 grams of metal zirconium can absorb 817 liters of hydrogen, which is equivalent to more than 800,000 times that of iron. This characteristic of zirconium makes it widely used in the electric vacuum industry. People use zirconium powder to coat the surface of the anode and other heated parts of electric vacuum components and instruments to absorb residual gas in vacuum tubes. The high vacuum tubes and other electric vacuum instruments made in this way have high quality and long service life.

Zirconium has a small thermal neutron capture cross-section and has outstanding nuclear properties, so it is an indispensable material for the development of the atomic energy industry and can be used as a reactor core structural material. Zirconium powder is easy to burn in the air and can be used as a detonator and smokeless powder. Zirconium can be used as an additive for deoxidation and desulfurization of high-quality steel and is also a component of armor steel, cannon steel, stainless steel, and heat-resistant steel.

Zirconium can also be used as a “vitamin” in the metallurgical industry to exert its powerful deoxidation, nitrogen removal, and sulfur removal effects. Adding 1/1000 zirconium to steel will increase the hardness and strength amazingly; zirconium-containing armored steel, stainless steel, and heat-resistant steel are important materials for the manufacture of defense weapons such as armored vehicles, tanks, cannons, and bulletproof panels. When zirconium is mixed into copper and drawn into copper wire, the conductivity is not weakened, while the melting point is greatly improved, which is very suitable for high-voltage wires. Zirconium-containing zinc-magnesium alloy is light and resistant to high temperatures, and its strength is twice that of ordinary magnesium alloys. It can be used in the manufacture of jet engine components.

Zirconium powder is characterized by a low ignition point and fast burning speed and can be used as a primer for detonating detonators, which can explode even underwater. Zirconium powder plus oxidant is like adding fuel to the fire, it burns with strong light and dazzling, and it is a good material for making tracer and flare.

Zirconium alloys and their applications

Zirconium alloy is a non-ferrous alloy composed of zirconium as the matrix and other elements are added. The main alloying elements are tin, niobium, iron, and so on. Zirconium alloy has good corrosion resistance, moderate mechanical properties, low atomic thermal neutron absorption cross-section in high temperature and high-pressure water and steam at 300-400 °C, and has good compatibility with nuclear fuel. In addition, zirconium alloy has excellent corrosion resistance to various acids, alkalis, and salts, and has a strong affinity with oxygen, nitrogen, and other gases, so it is also used in the manufacture of corrosion-resistant parts and pharmaceutical machinery parts. For example, it is widely used as a non-evaporable getter in the electric vacuum and light bulb industries.

There are two types of zirconium alloys produced on an industrial scale: the zirconium-tin series and the zirconium-niobium series. The former alloy grades are Zr-2 and Zr-4, and the typical representative of the latter is Zr-2.5Nb. In zirconium-tin alloys, the alloying elements tin, iron, chromium, and nickel can improve the strength, corrosion resistance, and thermal conductivity of the corrosion-resistant film, and reduce the sensitivity of the surface state to corrosion. Usually, Zr-2 alloys are used in boiling water reactors, and Zr-4 alloys are used in pressurized water reactors. In zirconium-niobium-based alloys, the corrosion resistance of the alloy is the best when the addition amount of niobium reaches the solid solution limit of the crystal structure of zirconium at the service temperature. Zirconium alloy has isomorphous transformation, the crystal structure is body-centered cubic at high temperature, and hexagonal close-packed at low temperature. Zirconium alloy has good plasticity and can be made into pipes, plates, bars and wires by plastic processing; its weldability is also good and can be used for welding.

Other Zirconium Compounds

Zirconium dioxide and zircon are the most valuable compounds in refractory materials. Zirconium dioxide is the main material of new ceramics and cannot be used as a heating material that resists high-temperature oxidation. Zirconium dioxide can be used as an additive for acid-resistant enamel and glass, which can significantly improve the elasticity, chemical stability, and heat resistance of glass. Zircon has a strong light reflection performance and good thermal stability and can be used as sunscreen in ceramics and glass. Zirconium can absorb a large amount of oxygen, hydrogen, ammonia, and other gases when heated, and is an ideal getter. For example, zirconium powder is used as a degassing agent in electronic tubes, and zirconium wire and zirconium sheets are used as grid supports and anode supports.

Powdered iron mixed with zirconium nitrate can be used as glitter powder. Zirconium metal is used almost exclusively as the cladding for uranium fuel elements in nuclear reactors. It is also used to make photographic flashes, as well as corrosion-resistant containers and pipes, especially hydrochloric and sulfuric acids. Zirconium chemicals can be used as crosslinking agents for polymers.

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Applications of Zirconium Silicate Grinding Media

Zirconium Silicate is a high-quality and inexpensive opacifier with a high refractive index of 1.93-2.01 and chemical stability. It is widely used in the production of various ceramics. Besides, Zirconium Silicate has a high melting point, so it is also widely used in refractory materials, zirconium ramming materials for glass furnaces, casting materials, and spray coatings.

The zirconium silicate media ball is one of its kind, offering users the highest quality and superior grinding levels with improved abrasion resistance, better cost-effectiveness and lower overall contamination rates. Zirconium silicate beads are formulated in strict quality-controlled laboratory containers, in which they undergo specialized instillation techniques, followed by high-temperature sintering and final surface treatment. Compared to other alternative grinding media options such as glass beads or alumina, this ultra-hard media is an ideal solution for grinding special and complex products.

The basic characteristics of a good quality zirconium silicate grinding media are that they are high in density, shiny and smooth in appearance, and consist of a uniform solid spherical shape which in turn assures better efficiencies, decreased media wear, and a much longer life span respectively. Additional specialized techniques such as solidifying the media from surface to center result in further strengthening of the molecular structure of ZrSi beads. Zirconium silicate media balls exist in varying sizes and diameters in accordance with each buyer’s prerequisites.

ZrSi04 applications and uses are tremendous and widespread from everyday products such as paints and inks to ceramics, pharmaceuticals, and even in controlled quantities within edible food materials. Zirconium Silicate grinding media plays an integral role as an emulsion agent in order to achieve a ceramic glaze in refractory’s and on cutlery etc. Also being chemically inert and nonreactive allows ZiSi04 media to be used for grinding plastic on a mass level and at economical costs. Moreover, zirconium casting refractories of all kinds utilize this media for operational purposes within glass melting furnaces, cement production and heat/fire resistant porcelain among many others. On a generalized level, Zirconium Silicate grinding media performs numerous operations including mold cleaning of stainless steel, plastic as well as nonferrous materials, mechanical polishing, buffing and eventual after-cleaning processing.

On an overall rating scale, the benefits of this industrial product being extremely dense and strong results in creating an ideal surface roughness and metallic depth with a much lower breakage or contamination rate comparatively. These attributes in turn render Zirconium Silicate milling balls suitable for application on all types of materials and within both wet and dry environments easily.

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