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Is Alumina Toxic?

Published Date: 2024-09-14 18:52:20

You may not know that alumina can be found in everything from daily necessities to industrial applications.

Alumina, a high-performance material, has quietly penetrated into every aspect of our lives. Are you curious about alumina?

Please continue reading, I believe this article will give you the answer you want.

What is Alumina?

Alumina, also known as aluminum oxide, has a chemical formula of Al2O3 and is an oxide of aluminum. Alumina can be found in nature and can also be synthesized.

In nature, aluminum oxide exists in the form of minerals such as bauxite and corundum. Corundum, also known as ruby ​​and sapphire (different colors due to the impurities they contain), is a crystalline form of aluminum oxide, α-aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide has many crystalline forms, each with its own unique properties, of which α-aluminum oxide, mainly corundum, is the most famous.

Synthetic aluminum oxide exists in the form of white powder. High-purity aluminum oxide powder is an essential material for smelting aluminum metal and making ceramics.

Extended reading: Learn more about alumina

Ruby, sapphire, alumina powder and corundum

Is aluminum oxide toxic?

Alumina is non-toxic! With the widespread use of alumina, whether alumina is toxic has become a question in many people’s minds. Academically, alumina is considered non-toxic, but long-term contact may irritate some sensitive skin. As an inert substance, alumina is very stable at room temperature and usually does not react with other substances to produce other substances that are harmful to the human body.

It should be noted that for some people who work with high-concentration alumina powder for a long time, they may suffer from respiratory diseases due to inhalation of powder, so they need to wear protective masks.

However, if alumina is made into solid ceramics, it will not cause any health problems for users like you who have short-term contact. You can purchase and use alumina products with confidence.

Alumina is non-toxic

 

Properties of Alumina

Alumina can become the preferred material in many industries due to its superior performance. We attach a table of alumina material performance parameters for your reference.

Alumina material properties

Name

Alumina (Al2O3)

 

 

 

 Mechanical properties

Vickers hardness load 500g

GPa

13.7

Color

White

Flexural strength

MPa

350

 

 

 Key Features

High temperature resistance

Compressive strength

MPa

High insulation

Young’s modulus of elasticity

GPa

320

Corrosion resistance

Poisson’s ratio

0.23

High mechanical strength

Fracture toughness

MPa·√m

Bulk density

(Kg/m³)

3.7×103

 

 

 

 Electrical characteristics

Dielectric strength

V/m

15 × 10⁶

Water absorption

%

0

Volume resistivity

20℃

Ω·cm

>10¹⁴

 

 

 Thermal properties

Linear expansion coefficient

40-400℃

×10⁻⁶/°C

7.2

300℃

10¹⁰

40-800℃

7.9

500℃

10⁸

Thermal conductivity

W/m·K

24

Dielectric Constant (1MHz)

9.4

Specific Heat

J/Kg·K

0.78 × 10³

Dielectric loss tangent (1MHz, ×10⁻⁴)

(×10⁻⁴)

4

Thermal shock resistance (in water)

200

Loss coefficient

(×10⁻⁴)

38

 

What is Alumina used for?

After introducing the properties of alumina, its uses are also obvious. Alumina is involved in a wide range of industries. It can act as various refractory materials or abrasives in industry, insulating materials and insulating substrates in the electronics industry, bionic implants and prostheses in medical equipment, and adsorbents in water treatment applications… The uses of alumina are difficult to summarize in one sentence.
Circuit board
Alumina insulator
Refractory brick
Polishing powder
Alumina abrasive
Artificial bone material
Bulletproof vest
Electronic packaging
Ceramic heater
Solar panel coating
Catalyst carrier
Learn more about the uses of alumina

FAQs.

After reading the above content, you must have a certain understanding of alumina. We have also sorted out some issues that users are very concerned about, hoping to help you.

  • How to choose the right alumina material?

Many people who are interested in alumina materials have a headache about not knowing how to choose the materials they need. When choosing alumina materials, you need to combine your application scenarios. You need to understand the different purities, performances, and costs of alumina in advance, or seek help from professional suppliers. Here, we briefly introduce how to choose the right alumina material, hoping to help you.

For those high-precision uses, such as those used in electronic devices and high-precision machinery, we recommend that you choose high-purity alumina of more than 99%. This type of alumina has better performance and can better bear the responsibility of important components. In general, high-purity alumina is suitable for you to use in harsh and high-performance environments, such as extreme high temperatures, strong acids and alkali environments.

If you need to use it in high-strength and high-wear applications, such as seals and bearings for various machines, then we recommend that you choose 95% or 96% alumina. This type of alumina also has excellent performance and is fully capable of general harsh environments. It is very cost-effective and suitable for large-scale manufacturing and use. In general, if you consider economy and do not have particularly high requirements for performance, we recommend that you choose 95% or 96% alumina, which can also meet most industrial needs.

  • How does alumina compare to other materials, such as zirconia?

Alumina and zirconia are both common ceramic materials, and their performance has its own advantages and disadvantages. So what are the advantages of alumina compared to zirconia?

The price of alumina will be lower. Compared with the more complex manufacturing process and rarity of zirconia, the cost of alumina is much lower.

The hardness of alumina is higher than that of zirconia, and it is widely used in some high wear-resistant occasions, but the toughness of zirconia is higher than that of alumina, making it more competitive as a cutting tool.

Alumina is more stable at high temperatures and is a representative of some high-temperature refractory materials. Compared with zirconia, although it also has good high-temperature resistance, its stability is not as good as alumina.

Learn more about Zirconia materials

  • What are the environmental and safety performance of alumina?

We mentioned earlier that alumina is a non-toxic material. Yes, alumina is also a relatively environmentally friendly material. During the production process, no harmful substances are produced to affect the environment. Many alumina products are used in food contact materials and medical devices.

  • What are some high-quality alumina ceramic manufacturers?

After reading this article, are you interested in alumina ceramics and want to find a ceramic manufacturer with integrity and high quality? GORGEOUS is your best choice. We have more than 20 years of production experience and perfect after-sales experience. We can quickly provide you with customized advanced ceramics of various materials. If you need high-quality ceramics, please contact us immediately!

 

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