Tin metal

Tin metal granules are tiny particles of metallic tin with a silvery grey appearance, soft texture, good ductility, corrosion resistance, and can be used for a variety of industrial and process applications such as soldering, tin plating, and alloy manufacturing.

Characteristics

Atomic number: 50

Atomic weight: 118.71

Appearance: Tin metal particles usually show a silver-white metallic luster, there are two kinds of isomers, β- tin (white tin) is more stable at room temperature, the appearance of silver-white bright; α- tin (grey tin) is more stable at low temperatures, the colour is grey.

Crystal structure: β-tin has a body-centred tetragonal structure; α-tin has a face-centred cubic diamond structure.

Density: White tin has a density of about 7.29 g/cm3; grey tin has a density of about 5.77 g/cm3.

Melting point: 231.93°C

Boiling point: 2260°C

Hardness: Soft texture, relatively low Mohs hardness, easy to process and mould.

Stability: stable in air, but tin powder (when finer particles) is more easily oxidised, especially in humid air. A thin film of tin oxide will form on the surface after oxidation.

Solubility: easily soluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid, aqua regia, gradually soluble in cold dilute hydrochloric acid, dilute nitric acid and hot dilute sulfuric acid; soluble in hot caustic solution or concentrated nitric acid, but it will change into insoluble metastannic acid.

Ductility: It has good ductility and can be pressed into sheets or drawn into filaments.

Electrical and Thermal Conductivity: It has a certain electrical and thermal conductivity, and can be used in electronic soldering and other fields that require electrical and thermal conductivity.

Applications

Soldering materials:

In the electronic industry, tin metal particles are an important component of solder paste. Solder paste is used to solder electronic components to circuit boards. The low melting point of tin allows it to melt and connect electronic components at relatively low temperatures, ensuring that electronic components are not damaged by high temperatures during the soldering process. For example, the production and manufacture of mobile phones, computers and other electronic products are inseparable from tin soldering.

In metal processing and manufacturing, tin metal particles can also be used for welding between metals, for example, in some small metal products repair, connection and some of the requirements of the welding temperature is not high in the metal structure of the connection, tin soldering is a common method of welding!

Alloy manufacturing:

Tin can form alloys with many metals, and tin metal particles play an important role in alloy manufacturing. For example, tin and copper to form a bronze alloy, with good strength, toughness and corrosion resistance, in ancient times was widely used in the manufacture of weapons, tools and works of art and so on.

Tin-lead alloys were once commonly used as solder alloys, but due to the toxicity of lead, they are now gradually replaced by lead-free solder alloys, and the use of tin in lead-free solder alloys is still very important.
Tin can also be used to form alloys with other metals such as antimony and bismuth for the manufacture of bearing alloys, fuses, and other special purpose materials.

Metal Coating:
Tin coatings can be formed by plating tin metal particles on the surface of other metals through electroplating, hot-dip plating and other methods. Tin coatings have good corrosion resistance and can protect the metal substrate from corrosion, for example, tin plating on the surface of steel products can prevent steel from rusting.

In the food packaging industry, tin coating is used in the manufacture of cans, food cans and other packaging materials, because tin is harmless to the human body, and can effectively isolate the food and the external environment, to maintain the freshness and safety of food.

Lubrication additives: Tin metal particles are dispersed in lubricating oils and can be used as lubrication additives. Tin particles can form a lubricating film on the friction surface, reduce friction and wear, and improve the operating efficiency and service life of mechanical equipment.

Chemical reagent:

In chemical analyses and laboratories, tin metal particles can be used as a reducing agent. For example, in some chemical reactions, tin can reduce metal ions in the high valence state to metal ions in the low valence state.

Tin compounds also have a wide range of applications in the chemical industry, for example, tin dioxide can be used as a catalyst, gas-sensitive materials.

Photovoltaic materials: In the field of photovoltaics, some compounds of tin or tin-related materials may be used in the manufacture of solar cells. Although the application in this area is still in the research and development stage, but has potential application prospects.

Art and decoration field:
In traditional handicraft production, tin can be processed into various shapes of particles for inlay, decoration and other processes to produce exquisite handicrafts, such as tinware and tin carvings.

In modern art creation, tin metal particles can also be used as a unique material for the creation and expression of art works.