Five major industries for the future development of ceramic products
Industry for electric vehicles
China produced and sold 6.253 million and 6.067 million new energy cars, respectively, between January and November, up around 100% year over year, with a 25% market share, according to the most recent figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Along with manufacturing and sales growth that far outpaced the market during that time, new energy vehicle penetration has surpassed 36% and continues to rise. Electric vehicle technology is constantly evolving, which has expedited the replacement of its component designs and materials. The use of new energy electric vehicles has fully embraced advanced Ceramic Materials due to their unique performance advantages.
Among them, HIP silicon nitride bearing balls and high thermal conductivity silicon nitride substrates are prevalent.
01 HIP Balls for Silicon Nitride Bearings
Motor bearings for new energy vehicles demand lower density and comparatively more wear-resistant materials due to their higher rotation rates when compared to standard bearings. In silicon nitride ceramic bearings, the balls produce less heat and friction within the bearing system. Specifically, silicon nitride is a naturally occurring electrical insulator that can prevent electrical corrosion from bearing discharge, prolong the life of lubricants and bearings, and eventually induce bearing failure. It is ideal for usage in a variety of sectors, including electric cars.
Ceramic bearings are increasingly replacing steel ball bearings in the age of electric drives. Silicon nitride ceramic ball insulated bearings are used in domestic Xiaopeng P7, G9, Weilai ET7, and other models. For instance, the output shaft of the motor used by Tesla employs ceramic bearings, hybrid ceramic bearings designed by NSK, and bearing balls made of 50 silicon nitride balls.
Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and gas pressure Sintering (GPS) are the two most popular preparatory techniques for silicon nitride ceramic ball sintering. These two methods yield ceramic balls that are frequently used in many settings. HIP silicon nitride provides superior mechanical qualities and a longer fatigue life than GPS silicon nitride.
Currently, well-known foreign firms continue to control the international market share and develoPment direction, while Japanese, European, and American corporations continue to dominate the manufacturing of high-end ceramic bearing goods. 2015 saw the establishment of National Materials High-Tech Nitride Ceramics Co., Ltd. in my nation.
made a significant advancement in the technology for mass producing hot isostatically pressed silicon nitride ceramic balls, making it the first company in China to establish mass production of these materials and the third company overall, behind Toshiba in Japan and Kustec in the United States. SKF in Sweden, Timken in the US, GMN in Germany, and Forsa in Spain are among the countries to which its products are shipped. Furthermore, comparable methods are used by Sinoceramic Jinsheng and others to create silicon nitride bearing balls with a 1000 MPa bending strength.
02 High thermal conductivity silicon nitride ceramic substrate
Silicon nitride ceramic substrates are mainly used in the power units, semiconductor devices and inverters of pure electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), and have huge market potential and application prospects.
Currently, bending strength of 650 MPa, fracture toughness of 5–7 MPa·m1/2, and thermal conductivity of 85 W/(m·K) are required for the commercial use of high thermal conductivity silicon nitride ceramic substrate materials. The Toshiba Group, Hitachi Metals, Nippon Electric Chemical, Maruwa, and Nippon Fine Ceramics are the primary companies that possess the capacity to mass-produce silicon nitride ceramic substrates with high thermal conductivity.
Additionally, there has been some advancement in domestic research on silicon nitride ceramic substrate materials. By optimizing the sintering method and process, Beijing Sinoma Artificial Crystal Research Institute Co., Ltd. has successfully prepared a silicon nitride ceramic substrate with a bending strength of 700-800MPa, a fracture toughness of ≥8MPa·m1/2, and a thermal conductivity of ≥80W/(m·K). The silicon nitride ceramic substrate manufactured by the Beijing Branch of Sinoma High-Tech Nitride Ceramics Co., Ltd. using the tape casting process has a thermal conductivity of 100 W/(m·K).
Electric vehicles are currently moving closer to intelligence as a result of the growing popularity of new energy vehicles and the development of artificial intelligence (AI). Automobile manufacturers have also shown interest in a variety of ceramic materials, including lidar packing materials, carbon ceramic brakes, high-capacity MLCC, ceramic thermal conductive materials, etc.
Manufacturing of semiconductors
The industrial law of "one generation of technology, one generation of process, one generation of equipment" governs the semiconductor industry, and advancements in precision part technology are crucial to the modernization and iteration of semiconductor equipment. Precision ceramic parts are the most representative materials for semiconductor precision parts among them. They are used in a number of key semiconductor manufacturing processes, including etching, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, and ion implantation. like mechanical handling arms, electrostatic chucks, liners, guiding rails, and bearings, among others. It performs the roles of stabilization, defense, and distraction, particularly within the equipment cavity.
Production of semiconductors The semiconductor industry is governed by the industrial law of "one generation of technology, one generation of process, one generation of equipment," and improvements in precision part technology are essential to the modernization and iteration of semiconductor machinery. Of all the materials used for semiconductor precision parts, precision ceramic parts are the most representative. They are employed in etching, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, and ion implantation, among other important semiconductor manufacturing procedures. such as bearings, liners, guiding rails, electrostatic chucks, and mechanical handling arms, to name a few. It serves as diversion, defense, and stabilization, especially inside the equipment cavity.
Energy-saving and environmental protection industry
Under the guidance of the national "dual carbon" policy, all industries are gradually developing in the direction of energy saving, carbon reduction, pollution reduction, and efficiency improvement. Under this background, the ceramic industry faces energy consumption and environmental protection pressures, but it also brings new development opportunities to ceramic materials.
01 Ceramic membrane
In order to replace conventional filtration separation technology, membrane separation technology with ceramic membrane at its core is currently primarily utilized as a high-efficiency separation process in the process industry and special water treatment fields for filtration separation, concentration and purification, and purification and impurity removal.
Ceramic flat membrane
Among them, fluids in complex settings can be filtered, separated, and purified using high-performance ceramic flat membranes. High temperature and pressure resistance, strong chemical stability, high filtering efficiency, good dependability, low operating and maintenance costs, extended service life, and environmental friendliness throughout the life cycle are some of their attributes. It has been widely used and promoted in the areas of municipal sewage, distributed water treatment, black and odorous water treatment, reclaimed water reuse, and industrial park wastewater treatment. It is the primary development direction in the field of international high-performance ceramic separation membranes and has a wide range of market prospects.
Along with water treatment, air pollution management in my nation is also on the horizon. The environmentally friendly rare earth-metal oxide system nano-denitrification catalyst is loaded onto ceramic fiber composite membrane material as the support body to create the high-temperature fiber membrane for denitrification and dust removal, a filter element with integrated denitrification and dust removal functions that can achieve direct purification of gas under high temperature conditions.
02 Aerogel
The extensive green and low-carbon development of aerogel, a super insulating material, has created hitherto unheard-of potential for the growth of the aerogel sector. The new aerogel technology is anticipated to be integrated with the growth of green manufacturing to create more new product applications in line with the trend of green industries developing more quickly.
Aerogel has extremely low density, ultra-high porosity, low refractive index, low thermal conductivity, low acoustic impedance and other characteristics that general solid materials do not have. These characteristics make it have great application prospects in the fields of thermal insulation, biomedicine, sound insulation, adsorption, etc., and the market demand potential is huge.
Industry of biomedicine
More and more artificial implants and organs will be used in therapeutic settings as society develops and people's lives get better. In my nation, metals like stainless steel and cobalt alloys have long been utilized for orthopedic healing and repair due to their superior mechanical and control qualities; nevertheless, their biocompatibility is lacking. Consequently, the market and research for coating materials or bioceramics that are healthier and more compatible are expanding rapidly.
Because of their exceptional fracture toughness and wear resistance, biomedical ceramics like Al2O3, ZrO2, ZTA, Si3N4, and related composite ceramic materials are frequently employed in surgical load-bearing prostheses, dental implants, bone substitutes, etc. Zirconium oxide is frequently used in dental restoration materials due to its good performance and beauty, but its strength is due to glass ceramics. Among these, silicon nitride combines the bactericidal effect and self-lubricating properties, and its implant has long-term stable biological stability.
In 2022, the size of the worldwide market for medical ceramic materials is projected to be around $15 billion USD. In 2022, the medical ceramic materials market in China is expected to be worth approximately 4.5 billion US dollars. Of them, alumina ceramics make up the majority (about 60%). Silicon nitride ceramics are employed for orthopedic implants, while zirconia ceramics are primarily utilized in dentistry.
The aerospace sector
Ceramics consistently stand out for their exceptional performance in a variety of harsh application situations. The military and aerospace industries are two of the most well-liked application markets for advanced ceramics. "High temperature resistance" and "stealth" are the two primary ceramic development lines in the aerospace industry.
The new generation of military aviation engines has an increasing need for new high-temperature resistant structural materials as the potential of single crystals, thermal barrier coatings, and active air cooling is gradually depleted. SiC/SiC-CMC has emerged as one of the top options for high-temperature resistant structural materials. SiC/SiC-CMC is strengthened and toughened in large part by silicon carbide fiber. The most important raw material for SiC/SiC-CMC is silicon carbide fiber, which has a temperature resistance of above 1200°C and has drawn the attention of aviation powers in a research competition.
Typically consisting of an absorbing medium (absorbent) and a matrix material (sometimes known as a binder), absorbing materials are among the most crucial stealth materials. Silicon carbide is the primary ingredient used to create multi-band absorbent ceramic materials; inorganic ceramic nanoparticles and inorganic polymer materials combine to form ceramic infrared stealth materials, a kind of coating. In order to produce effective broadband electromagnetic wave absorption, inorganic ceramic nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed in an inorganic polymer matrix and carefully controlled.