Ceramic crucibles are containers with high melting points and high temperature resistance. They combine chemical stability with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, making them essential tools for extremely high-temperature applications in laboratories, metallurgy, semiconductor manufacturing, and other fields.
Ceramic crucibles are primarily made from advanced ceramics such as 氧化铝, 氮化硼， 和 氧化锆. In this article, we’ll explore ceramic crucible material selection, key characteristics, and service life to help you select the most suitable crucible for your high-temperature application.
陶瓷坩埚的材质有哪些？
氧化铝坩埚
氧化铝陶瓷坩埚 are primarily made of 99.7% pure aluminum oxide. Did you know? During the production process, many manufacturers, such as GORGEOUS, add small amounts of magnesium oxide (MgO) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) to impart superior physical and chemical properties to the crucibles.
Key Features: High-Temperature Resistance - Alumina crucibles can withstand temperatures of approximately 1700°C in a redox atmosphere. While offering superior performance, alumina crucibles are also price-competitive, making them the preferred material for many manufacturers.
Applications: Alumina crucibles are primarily used in laboratory and industrial metallurgy, heating, and chemical reactions.
Advantages: Alumina crucibles are one of the most economical ceramic crucibles on the market. Alumina’s high melting point and low thermal expansion coefficient make them resistant to cracking. They are ideal reaction vessels for weakly alkaline substances.
Limitations: Strongly corrosive substances, such as the strong base sodium hydroxide (NaOH), can severely damage alumina crucibles. For these materials, GORGEOUS recommends using a crucible material with strong corrosion resistance instead of alumina crucible.
氧化锆坩埚
Zirconia crucibles are primarily made of high-purity zirconium oxide. Their exceptionally high temperature resistance and chemical stability make them ideal for extremely high-temperature melting processes.
Key Features: Zirconia crucibles boast robust high-temperature resistance, capable of withstanding temperatures up to 2000°C, making them ideal for melting precious metals such as platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd).
Zirconium oxide also possesses excellent chemical resistance, maintaining a stable structure even in harsh environments with strong acids and alkalis, making it an ideal crucible material for processes prone to corrosion.
Applications: Zirconia crucibles are primarily used in precious metal melting and certain processes involving high-melting-point materials.
氧化锆增韧氧化铝坩埚（ZTA坩埚）
Zirconia-toughened alumina crucibles (ZTA) are primarily made of 90% alumina and 10% zirconia. This ceramic material combines the advantages of both alumina and zirconia, offering excellent high-temperature resistance and high toughness.
Key Features:
High Toughness - The addition of zirconia significantly improves the crucible’s crack and wear resistance, reducing damage caused by high temperatures and mechanical shock.
High-Temperature Resistance - ZTA crucibles can withstand temperatures up to 1700°C and operate stably in high-temperature environments.
Thermal Shock Resistance - Compared to pure alumina crucibles, ZTA crucibles offer higher thermal shock resistance, are more stable under severe temperature fluctuations, and are less prone to cracking.
Applications: These crucibles are primarily used in processes requiring high mechanical strength and high-temperature stability.
氮化硼坩埚（PBN坩埚）
氮化硼坩埚 are specially designed for use at extremely high temperatures. Their primary component is pyrolytic boron nitride.
Key Features:
High-Temperature Resistance - Boron nitride crucibles offer exceptional high-temperature resistance. In a protective atmosphere, they can reach temperatures of up to 2100°C and remain stable. They will not melt or react chemically with the substrate at extremely high temperatures.
Thermal Conductivity - Boron nitride crucibles have excellent thermal conductivity, allowing them to quickly dissipate heat, effectively preventing localized overheating, thermal stress, and thermal damage.
Low Thermal Expansion Coefficient - Boron nitride has a low thermal expansion coefficient, effectively reducing the risk of crucible cracking in high-temperature processes requiring rapid cooling or heating.
Applications: Boron nitride crucibles are primarily used in high-temperature processes such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal smelting. In the semiconductor industry, they are often used in chemical vapor deposition (CVD), crystal growth, and high-temperature evaporation.
其他陶瓷材料
除了上面提到的常见陶瓷材料外，还有氧化镁、氧化铍等优质坩埚材料，它们都具有优异的高温性能，是很多金属冶炼、实验室必备的坩埚容器材料。
如何保证坩埚的使用寿命？
If you want your crucible to have better performance and service life, you’d better do the following:
贮存：
最好将使用过的坩埚存放在干燥、清洁的环境中，以防止其吸收水分和污染。应避免将坩埚存放在化学品附近或高湿度环境中。
操作：
应使用适当的工具操作坩埚，避免用手直接接触，使用后检查是否有裂纹或损坏。
打扫：
每次使用后，应彻底清洁坩埚。应清除所有残留物，并注意待其充分冷却后再进行清洁，以防止热冲击和开裂。
常问问题
1.什么是坩埚？
坩埚是一种专为在极高温度下使用的容器，主要用于金属冶炼和化学反应。
2、陶瓷坩埚的熔点是多少？
陶瓷坩埚的熔点主要取决于所用材质，例如氧化铝坩埚可耐1650℃至1700℃之间的温度，而氧化锆坩埚则可耐高达2000℃的温度。
3.陶瓷坩埚在化学中有什么用途？
陶瓷坩埚常用于高温金属冶炼、作为化学反应容器、材料加工容器等。
4、陶瓷坩埚的作用是什么？
陶瓷坩埚主要用于高温加热、熔化或精炼材料等，也可作为某些化学反应的容器。
5、陶瓷坩埚的材质特性有哪些？
陶瓷材料具有熔点高、热膨胀系数低、热稳定性好、耐化学腐蚀等特点。
6.陶瓷坩埚可以用来熔化强碱性物质吗？
这主要取决于坩埚的材质。一般情况下，我们不建议您使用氧化铝坩埚来熔化强碱性物质，例如氢氧化钠（NaOH）、过氧化钠（Na₂O₂），因为这些物质可能会腐蚀坩埚。
7、瓷坩埚与陶瓷坩埚有什么区别？
瓷坩埚通常是指由瓷质材料制成的坩埚，陶瓷坩埚比传统的瓷坩埚性能更强，可以承受更高的温度，机械性能也更强。
8.如何加热陶瓷坩埚？
陶瓷坩埚加热时，应根据坩埚材质的特性选择合适的加热方式，需要注意的是，加热过程中应避免突然冷却或加热，这样容易导致坩埚破裂。
9、陶瓷坩埚的保养方法有哪些？
坩埚使用完毕后应彻底清洗，去除残留物，并使用适当的清洗液进行清洗，最后用纯净水冲洗干净并晾干备用。
结论
Ceramic crucibles are indispensable tools in modern chemistry and metallurgy. Capable of operating in extreme temperatures and harsh chemical environments, they play a key role in a wide range of scientific and industrial applications. GORGEOUS, a leading international supplier of advanced ceramics, offers custom-made ceramic crucibles in a variety of materials. Thank you for reading this article, and we hope you find it helpful.