Alumina has high strength, wear resistance, high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, which makes it widely used! In modern society, alumina has become an indispensable material and is widely used in all aspects of our lives. Do you know what specific applications of alumina are? If you are curious about the application of alumina, then let us take you to appreciate the alumina that is showing its talents in various industries!
Further reading: What is alumina?
Quick Links
- Refractory Materials
- Electronic Applications
- Abrasive Materials
- Catalysts and Catalyst Supports
- Medical Materials
- Jewelry Decoration
- Military Equipment
Refractory Materials
Alumina is a very excellent refractory material. Its strong heat resistance allows alumina to operate stably in various harsh environments. High temperature resistance is a very critical property of alumina, which enables alumina to resist the erosion of extreme high temperatures and thermal stress.
As a high-quality refractory material, alumina has a wide variety of products, which are mainly used in high-temperature industrial fields, mainly including heat-resistant plates, refractory bricks, heat storage balls, high-temperature furnace tubes, etc.
Alumina Refractory Bricks
- High alumina bricks: contain a higher proportion of alumina, usually above 48%, mainly used in high-temperature kilns in the steel, electricity, glass and other industries.
- Special grade high alumina bricks: This refractory brick has a higher alumina content, usually above 80%, and has excellent thermal shock resistance
- Corundum bricks: The alumina content is over 90%, used for high refractory and some high-strength occasions, mainly used in blast furnaces and high-temperature kiln linings, etc.
Alumina Refractory Bricks - High Alumina Bricks
Alumina Refractory Castables
- High alumina castables: mainly composed of alumina, aluminate cement and other refractory aggregates, mainly used for lining of boilers, rotary kilns and other equipment.
- Low cement castables: This type of castable has a high alumina content and high thermal strength, which is very suitable for some high temperature corrosive environments.
Alumina Refractory Castables - Low Cement Castables
Alumina Refractory Balls
Refractory balls are mainly used to fill high-temperature reactors in the chemical, petroleum and other industries. This product has good thermal shock resistance. In addition, refractory balls can also be used as furnace support and filter materials.
Alumina refractory balls
Alumina Refractory Board
- Kiln sagger: Mainly used in sintering furnaces in the ceramic and powder metallurgy industries, it can effectively protect products from direct contact with flames.
- Insulation board: Alumina insulation board is mainly used in various kilns and high-temperature equipment, and can provide thermal isolation and support.
Alumina refractory board
Alumina Refractory Tubes
Refractory tubes are mainly thermocouple protection tubes, electric heating element sleeves, etc., which can withstand extreme high temperatures and oxidizing environments.
Alumina refractory tube
Electronic Applications
Alumina is widely used in the electronics industry. Its superior insulation properties allow very few electrons to pass through it. In various electronic semiconductor industries, it is an insulating substrate, electronic packaging, thin film circuit, thermal conductive material…
As a substrate material for electronic components, alumina substrates can carry various precision electronic components. In addition, it is also widely used in hybrid circuits, multi-chip modules and high-power IGBT modules.
Alumina Ceramic Substrate
- Thick film ceramic substrate: It can be used to support various printed circuits, power electronic modules and LED chips. It has high insulation and thermal conductivity and is very suitable for high-power applications.
- Thin film ceramic substrate: The low dielectric loss of alumina can be used to make thin film ceramic substrates for high-frequency circuits and microwave communication equipment.
- Multilayer ceramic substrate (MLCC): This substrate is mainly used to build compact electronic components, and multiple circuit layers can be integrated into a ceramic substrate.
Alumina ceramic substrate
Alumina Ceramic Packaging
- Integrated Circuit (IC) Packaging: Alumina is used to make the chip shell, protecting the chip from external physical and chemical damage, while providing heat dissipation and electrical insulation.
- Power Module Packaging: It can be used for power converters and inverters. Its superior insulation performance can withstand high temperatures and high currents.
- Optoelectronic Device Packaging: It is mainly used for lasers, LEDs and photoelectric sensors, and can provide you with precision protection and heat dissipation functions.
Alumina ceramic package
Alumina Ceramic Electrical Insulators
- High voltage insulators: Mainly used in transformers, power switches and other equipment, with excellent dielectric properties and high temperature resistance.
- Vacuum electronic equipment insulators: Used in vacuum tubes, electron accelerators and other equipment, providing excellent insulation performance.
- Microwave insulators: Used in microwave communication equipment and radar systems to meet high-frequency signal transmission requirements.
- In the application of semiconductors, alumina also plays a pivotal role. Alumina film can be made into metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors, which are used in power control circuits in electronic devices.
- As an electronic packaging material, alumina can provide reliable protection and packaging for circuit components, preventing the external environment from damaging precision electronic components.
Alumina ceramic electrical insulators
Alumina Ceramic Heat Sink
Alumina has a relatively high thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion coefficient, making it an ideal heat sink material. Ceramic heat sinks are mainly used in various high-power electronic modules, LED lamps, semiconductor lasers and other equipment that require efficient heat dissipation.
Alumina ceramic radiator
Alumina Ceramic Sensor Element
- Temperature sensor base: Alumina has strong stability and is often used as a supporting component for thermocouples and thermistors.
- Gas sensor base: Alumina ceramics can be used as gas sensor bases to make oxygen, carbon dioxide and combustible gas sensors.
- Pressure sensor substrate: The superior mechanical properties of alumina ceramics can provide high strength, high rigidity and insulation performance, and are mainly used in the industrial and automotive fields.
Alumina ceramic sensor element
Abrasive Materials
Alumina has a high hardness, comparable to diamond, which ensures that it has a strong working quality and efficiency when used as a grinding material, and stands out among many materials.
As a highly plastic ceramic, alumina can be designed into a variety of shapes that are conducive to grinding, such as sintering into grinding balls and grinding beads. They have uniform texture, can work stably for a long time, and can grind and polish various materials well.
When alumina exists in the form of powder particles, it can be made into frosted sand. Alumina powder is widely used in various surface treatment works due to its fine particle size distribution and uniform grinding effect. As an abrasive, alumina can polish the metal surface to restore its gloss; it can also polish stone and glass to make it rich in texture.
In short, alumina as an abrasive can meet the high standards of surface treatment in various industries!
Further reading: Aluminum oxide abrasive VS Silicon carbide abrasive
Alumina Sand
- Brown corundum (BFA): Contains about 90%-96% alumina. It is a kind of abrasive with high hardness and strong toughness. It is mainly used for heavy grinding, surface polishing and sandblasting.
- White corundum (WFA): Its alumina content is as high as more than 99%, with higher hardness and higher purity. White corundum is mainly used for high-precision processing, such as grinding carbide and tool steel.
- Single crystal corundum: It has very high toughness and anti-breakage performance, which is very suitable for high-speed grinding and heavy cutting.
- Zirconium corundum: Zirconium oxide is added to make it more tough. It is mainly used for heavy grinding and cutting high-toughness materials such as stainless steel and titanium alloy.
Aluminum oxide frosted
Alumina Coated Abrasives
Sandpaper and abrasive belts: These are coated with aluminum oxide particles and are mainly used for manual grinding, mechanical grinding and surface finishing.
- Polishing discs: Commonly used in surface treatment processes such as metal, wood, and plastic.
- Coil abrasives: Suitable for flexible grinding, especially for grinding some curved and irregular surfaces.
Aluminum oxide sandpaper
Catalysts and Catalyst Supports
Alumina can directly participate in catalytic reactions as a catalyst, or it can be used as a catalyst carrier to support and disperse catalytic components to increase the rate of catalytic reactions.
When alumina is used as a catalyst, the active sites on its surface can promote chemical reactions and reduce the activation energy required for the reaction. Some crystalline alumina (γ-Al2O3) has a porous structure. These pores are conducive to the adsorption and adhesion of reactants and can also promote the catalytic reaction.
It can be used as a catalyst carrier thanks to the various properties of alumina. Alumina can withstand the high temperature generated during the reaction and can also withstand the corrosion of most chemical substances. At the same time, the porous structure provides sufficient adhesion space for the active components of the catalyst, which can effectively improve the catalytic efficiency.
Catalyst Carrier
- Precious metal catalyst carrier: For example, in petroleum cracking, hydrodesulfurization and hydrogenation reactions, alumina carriers can disperse precious metals (such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium) on the surface to enhance reaction efficiency.
- Industrial synthesis catalyst carrier: For example, iron-based or copper-based catalyst carriers used in ammonia synthesis and methanol synthesis, the larger specific surface area of alumina can promote the mass transfer of reaction gases.
- Exhaust treatment catalyst carrier: Mainly used in automobile exhaust processors, and supports three-way catalysts (TWC) to achieve simultaneous conversion of NOx, CO and HC.
Precious metal catalyst carrier
Direct Catalyst
- Alumina Catalyst Particles: Alumina can be used directly as an acidic catalyst in catalytic cracking (FCC) and hydrocarbon isomerization.
- Alumina Dechlorination Catalyst: This catalyst is widely used in chloride removal reactions and is very suitable for petrochemical plants.
- Alumina Defluorination Catalyst: This is a common catalyst for removing fluoride ions from drinking water and industrial wastewater in daily life.
Activated Alumina
- Desiccant: Mainly used for drying industrial gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen or LNG, petrochemical products and other liquids. It can absorb moisture in the air to achieve a low dew point (below -40°C).
- Adsorption dehydrating agent: can be used in natural gas, pressure swing adsorption (PSA) devices and air separation equipment.
- Air purifier: mainly used to remove pollutants in the air, such as water vapor, oil mist and organic compounds.
Activated Alumina
Medical Materials
Alumina has good biocompatibility, which means it fits the medical industry well and can be used as artificial joints, implants, etc. to exist stably in the human body.
In addition to implants, alumina can also be used as a carrier and adjuvant for drugs, effectively improving the solubility and stability of drugs.
And with the development of nanotechnology, alumina nanomaterials are also shining in the medical field. The characteristics of non-toxicity, degradability, and strong sustained release make it possible to be used as a carrier for cancer drugs. In short, alumina is full of prospects in the medical industry.
Implants
Hip head: such as the ball head used in hip replacement surgery.
Dental implants: can be used as replacement parts of tooth roots.
Spinal implants: such as implants in spinal repair, intervertebral disc prostheses, etc.
Alumina femoral head
Dental Materials
- Dental: Alumina can be made into crowns, bridges, etc.
- Orthodontic appliances: can replace metal brackets and are more beautiful
Alumina crown
Biosensors
- Alumina substrate: used to make biosensor chips, mainly used to detect biological molecules such as blood sugar and lactic acid.
- Nano-alumina sensors: can be used for high-sensitivity detection, very suitable for medical diagnosis and drug development.
Jewelry Decoration
The main components of rubies and sapphires commonly seen on the market are also α-alumina. These two gems are widely used in various jewelry and cultural gifts to make them more beautiful!
Military Equipment
Alumina can be used in various military applications. As a bulletproof ceramic, its excellent hardness and cost-effectiveness occupy an important position in the field of modern bulletproof equipment. Alumina can be used as a composite material for making bulletproof vests and bulletproof vehicles in military equipment, or as a thermal barrier coating to protect key parts to reduce impact and high temperature.
Protective Equipment
- Bulletproof ceramic plate: It is a very cost-effective bulletproof plate that can be used in military bulletproof vests and tactical protective equipment, providing excellent anti-ballistic performance.
- Armored vehicle ceramic protective plate: It has relatively comprehensive performance and can be used for the external armor of vehicles such as tanks and armored personnel carriers. It can effectively absorb and disperse impact force.
Alumina bulletproof plate
Summarize
As one of the most widely used ceramics in modern society, alumina has been applied to all aspects of society. The examples listed above are just the tip of the iceberg of alumina applications! After a deep understanding of alumina, we believe that it will be able to help you in many applications.
Further reading: Is aluminum oxide toxic?