Introdução

Cerâmicas de carboneto de silício have made giant strides in the automotive industry recently due to their impressive hardness and other outstanding properties they possess. New developments in automobile technology and renewable energy have made it possible to use these advanced ceramics in car manufacturing industries globally. Today’s article will show you the benefits, unique properties, and applications of silicon carbide ceramics in the automotive industry and several other industries. We will also discuss the role SiC semiconductors play in Electric Vehicles (EVs). Lastly, you would see the current market trends of silicon carbide ceramics.

Characteristics of Silicon Carbide Ceramics

Silicon carbide ceramics are advanced ceramic materials made from silicon and carbide. You can get it artificially as Carborundum or naturally as Moissanite. Talking about silicon carbide ceramics, the first thing that comes to mind is the material’s exceptional hardness and ability to withstand harsh conditions like extreme heat, oxidation (rusting), and temperature. Interestingly, SiC materials like SiC wafers and SiC ceramic heat sinks have a wide bandgap that helps them conduct heat and electricity excellently compared to other materials.

Little wonder, the indústria automotiva is fast adopting SiC ceramics in the production of cars, electric vehicles, car engines, automobile spare parts, and many other related equipment. The reason is simple: silicon carbide ceramic materials tend to give a far better edge and efficient results in a wide range of applications than the average advanced ceramic material.

Some properties of silicon carbide that make it useful to so many Industries today are:

• Excellent conductors of electricity and extreme heat.

• Baixa densidade

• Alto ponto de fusão de 2.730°C

• High compressive strength and hardness, second only to Diamond.

• Low thermal expansion.

• It also possesses tough scratch-resistant surfaces.

• They have a wide band gap that makes them a suitable semiconductor for high-power electronic devices and electric vehicles.

• Young modulus of above 400 GPa.

• High level of resistance to corrosion and chemical substances like acids.

• Capacidade de suportar altas temperaturas chegando a 1.300°C.

Benefits of Silicon Carbide Ceramics To Various Industries

Silicon carbide ceramics have a lot of useful benefits to several industries, like the automotive industry, chemical industries, engineering firms, metallurgical industries, plastics industries, etc.

Now, here are some of the benefits you can get from the application of silicon carbide ceramics:

• It provides you with a quick and efficient way to dissipate heat in your automobiles and heavy industrial machines. Meaning, your cars won’t overheat if a silicon carbide ceramic material is used in manufacturing them.

• Your automobiles and even heavy industrial machines, engines, and spare parts take advantage of SiC’s compressive hardness and tough nature, making them last longer.

• SiC materials conduct electricity extremely well; therefore, they are very suitable for electric vehicles.

• The low friction coefficient of automotive ceramics saves it from mechanical stress, wear, and tear.

• With a low thermal expansion coefficient, your cars and equipment can react brilliantly to thermal shocks.

• You can use these SiC materials in unfavourable conditions and environments with high or unstable temperatures without incurring any thermal damage due to their high thermal stability and conductivity.

• You can use these Silicon carbide ceramics in producing strong nail polishes and plastic materials in the ceramics industry.

• You can save cost and time when using silicon carbide wafers and heat sinks to produce high-power electronics, electric vehicles, and automobiles.

• Silicon carbide wafers and chips can boost the power conversion rate of your automobile.

• Your automobiles and electric vehicles will manage energy more efficiently with the use of SiC material for onboard chargers and DC/DC converters.

• Your mobile phones, electric vehicles, and modern computers are faster and more productive as a result of Silicon carbide wafer chips that keep the system in check.

• Reduction in brake failures because of the fast heat dissipation of automotive ceramics.

• You spend less on fuel consumption when using SiC materials due to a more reduced heat loss and thermal stability.

• Silicon carbide wafers help manufacturers reduce size and produce lightweight machines or device components.

Applications of Ceramics  in the Automotive Industry

The application of silicon carbide ceramics in the automotive industry has drastically increased in recent years. Engineering firms looking to produce tough, reliable automobiles depend mainly on the strength and hardness of these materials. Piston top, car exhausts, car doors, engines, spare parts, semiconductor chips, cylinder and kiln linings, and intake manifold are some of the equipment that utilize silicon carbide ceramics. Some of the applications include:

Engines and engine coatings

Engines function optimally when they can conduct heat properly without affecting the entire system. This is a unique property of advanced ceramic materials like silicon carbide. They have excellent thermal conductivity and stability while still maintaining their structure. So you can either use them to coat heavy-duty engines and automobile exhausts or use them in the production of these engines.

Pistons

When you coat automotive ceramics like pistons with SiC, it will ensure that the heat reflection is improved. How? It increases the burning frequency of fuel and reduces the carbon accumulation.

Cylinder Heads

Higher intensity chambers from exhaust ports and cylinder heads burn well thanks to the ceramic coatings that help in circulating the heat at a faster rate.

Piston Skirts

Abrasiveness and scratch resistance is a main property of silicon carbide ceramic materials. Therefore, engine blocks and piston skirts get a dry sliding surface and protection when you coat them with silicon carbide material.

Intake Manifolds

When you use silicon carbide ceramic material for coatings on the intake manifolds in the automobile industry, there is usually a reduced level of heat penetration due to the cooler mix of air and fuel.

The Role of Silicon Carbide Semiconductors in Electric Vehicles (EVs)

Thanks to silicon carbide batteries and silicon carbide wafers (semiconductors), electric vehicles have now become one of the newest sensations in automobile technology. They look small, compact, and lightweight, but compared to the average automobile, they are more highly efficient with impressive switching speeds and reduced power loss. The unique properties of silicon carbide semiconductors, like thermal stability, quick and effective heat dissipation, stable electrical and thermal conductivity, are what make manufacturers consider them as the real deal in designing smaller, less complex but cheap electric vehicles. The electric vehicles make use of charging circuits, silicon carbide wafers (as chips), batteries, or inverters for their proper functioning

Reports say that Tesla broke new ground for their Model 3 in 2017, when they became the first electric vehicle manufacturer to produce a silicon carbide drivetrain inverter.

These inverters or SiC batteries, as you may want to call them, give power to electric vehicles by quickly converting the electrical energy they possess into power that drives the EVs around. So, without the silicon carbide battery, which requires charging, the wheels of the EVs won’t move an inch. It’s also because these SiC semiconductors act like a brain box that controls the electrical energy flow between the electric motor, battery pack, and other components.

Your average automobile uses about 500-600 semiconductor chips, which leads to more heat being produced. So there is a growing need for chips that can transfer this heat faster and effectively. Silicon carbide semiconductor chips are now a very useful solution to this because they can effectively manage whatever heat is produced and dissipate it quickly without affecting the system. The new and improved electric vehicles you see today have about 2,000 silicon carbide semiconductor chips. There is obviously an improvement in density, power, and energy conversion rate, as well as an enhanced thermal conductivity and stability of the EVs.

Current Market Trends of Silicon Carbide Ceramics

The silicon carbide ceramics market is currently valued at $1.27 billion. A quite impressive figure, right? Economists put the Compound Annual Growth Rate at 5.25% since there is a notable increase in demand and market competition. Also, an estimate of at least $2 billion by 2030 is more proof that the market is doing considerably well in recent years. Asian companies like Fuji Electric Company, Ltd., and ROHM Companies have emerged as key players in this SiC market.

Aqui em GGSCerâmica, we bring you some of the best silicon carbide ceramic materials available. Purchasing these unique products we have at our disposal will enable you to build that ceramic world of your dreams.

Perguntas frequentes

Can silicon carbide dissolve in water?

No, it is insoluble in water but soluble in molten iron and Potassium Hydroxide (KOH)

Which is better between a silicon carbide battery and a lithium-ion battery?

SiC batteries tend to be better compared to the average lithium-ion battery type, because they (silicon carbide battery) charge faster, have a longer lifespan, and possess a higher energy density, which makes them stronger than their counterparts (lithium-ion).

What differentiates Gallium Nitride (GaN) from Silicon Carbide (SiC)?

Although these two semiconductor materials have similar properties, silicon carbide has a wider bandgap of 3.4 eV, while Gallium Nitride has a bandgap of 3.4 eV.

Conclusão

Silicon carbide ceramics are currently having a great impact on world economies and many industries globally. It has completely changed the face of the automotive industry, ranging from the use of automotive ceramics in the production of low-cost but highly efficient electric vehicles and automobiles to the production of high-performance silicon carbide wafers, silicon carbide semiconductors and batteries, onboard chargers, and improved piston coatings. Silicon carbide ceramics are indeed a game changer!