Hafnium Oxide

Hafnium Oxide pellets are solid particles with a certain shape (usually in the form of pellets) made from hafnium oxide powder through certain moulding processes (e.g. pressing, sintering, etc.), which retains the properties of hafnium oxide such as high melting point, chemical stability, etc., and has potential applications in the fields of high-temperature materials, electronic components and so on.

Characteristics

Chemical formula: HfO₂

Molar mass: 210.49 g/mol

High chemical stability: It does not react with water at room temperature, is a refractory substance, and remains stable in many chemical environments, which makes it reliable in a variety of complex application scenarios.

Appearance: Usually off-white solid particles.

Density: up to 9.68 g/cm³, the high density gives it a weight advantage in applications such as those where high density is required to increase stability or to fulfil a specific function.

Melting Point: 2758°C (4996°F; 3031 K), a high melting point material that maintains a stable structure and properties at high temperatures, which is an important basis for its use in high temperature materials, such as furnace linings and aerospace components.

Boiling point: 5400°C (9750°F; 5670 K), the very high boiling point ensures that it is not easy to vaporise at high temperatures.

Band Gap: 5.3~5.7 eV, as an electrical insulator, it has a high band gap, which makes it uniquely valuable in applications such as semiconductors and optical coatings, where it can effectively control the transmission of current and light.

Magnetic properties: magnetisation of -23.0 x 10-⁶ cm³/mol, with weak antimagnetic properties.

Optical properties: high refractive index, can provide good optical properties in optical coatings, such as for anti-reflection coatings and mirrors.

Thermal Stability: Structural and performance stability is maintained at high temperatures and can be used in environments with temperatures up to 2000°C or more.

Neutron Absorption Properties: Effectively absorbs neutrons, which allows it to be used as a control rod or as a structural material in nuclear reactors, helping to control nuclear reactions and improve reactor safety.

Applications

Semiconductor field:

High-k gate dielectric materials: Hafnium oxide pellets are used as high-k gate dielectrics in the manufacture of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. As the size of semiconductor devices continue to shrink, the traditional silicon dioxide gate dielectric layer due to gate leakage problems have been difficult to meet the demand, and hafnium oxide has a high dielectric constant, can effectively reduce the leakage current, improve the performance of the transistor and the degree of integration, help to manufacture smaller, faster, more energy-efficient semiconductor devices.

Dopant: In the doping process of semiconductor materials, hafnium oxide can be used as a dopant to change the electrical properties of semiconductors, such as adjusting carrier concentration and mobility, etc., so as to optimise the performance of semiconductor devices.

Optical field:

Optical coatings: due to its high refractive index, hafnium oxide pellets can be used to prepare optical coatings such as anti-reflective coatings and reflective coatings. These coatings can be applied to optical devices such as optical lenses, eyeglass lenses, solar panels, etc. to improve the performance and efficiency of the optical system, reduce reflection losses, and increase the transmittance or reflectivity of light.

Optical fibres and lasers: in optical fibre communications and lasers, hafnium oxide can be used to make doping materials for optical fibres or gain media for lasers, which helps to improve the transmission performance of optical fibres and the output power and stability of lasers.

High temperature materials field:

Furnace lining materials: the high melting point and high heat resistance of hafnium oxide pellets make them suitable for use as furnace lining materials in high-temperature furnaces, able to withstand high-temperature environments without deformation or damage to ensure that high-temperature reactions in the furnace can proceed smoothly.

Aerospace components: In the aerospace field, some key components need to work in high temperature and high pressure extreme environment, hafnium oxide pellets can be used in the manufacture of these components, such as engine blades, combustion chamber lining, etc., to improve the high temperature resistance and reliability of the components.

Nuclear reactor field:

Control rod materials: Hafnium oxide can be used in control rods for nuclear reactors due to its good neutron absorption properties. The control rods can control the rate of nuclear reaction, regulate the output power of the reactor, and ensure the safe operation of the nuclear reactor.

Structural materials: In the internal structure of nuclear reactors, some components need to have high temperature resistance, radiation resistance and good mechanical properties. Hafnium oxide pellets can be used as an integral part of these structural materials to improve the stability and safety of the structure.

Chemical field:

Catalyst or catalyst carrier: Hafnium oxide can be used as a catalyst or catalyst carrier in a variety of chemical reactions, such as catalytic converters and petrochemical processes. It improves the activity and selectivity of catalytic reactions, promotes chemical reactions, and reduces the activation energy and reaction temperature of reactions.

Ceramics and glass field:
Improvement of performance: Hafnium oxide pellets are added to ceramics and special glass materials to improve the mechanical and thermal properties of the materials, such as increasing the strength, toughness and heat resistance of the materials, so that the ceramics and glass materials can be adapted to more demanding use of the environment.