Technical ceramics (also known as advanced ceramics or engineering ceramics). Technical ceramics usually refer to high-performance advanced ceramics that have been carefully selected from raw materials and precisely processed, such as Alumina, Silicon nitride, and Aluminum titanate. Partially Stabilized Zirconia (PSZ), Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA).
Technical ceramics have the following characteristics:
Super hardness and wear resistance: cutting tools, bulletproof armor, wear-resistant components.
Extreme heat resistance and corrosion resistance: Hot end components of aero engines, inner linings of chemical reactors.
Excellent electrical insulation/dielectric properties: electronic substrates, insulating devices, MLCC (Multilayer Ceramic capacitors).
Unique biocompatibility: Artificial joints, dental implants.
Special functions (such as piezoelectric, semiconductor) : sensors, actuators, key components of semiconductor equipment.
Technical ceramics have become an indispensable "cornerstone material" for many strategic emerging industries:
1: Electronics and Semiconductors (Core Pillar) :
MLCC: The "heart" of modern electronic devices (mobile phones, automobiles, 5G base stations), technical ceramics are its core medium materials, with a huge and continuously growing market size.
Semiconductor manufacturing: Ceramic components used in critical processes such as etching, diffusion, and photolithography (such as electrostatic chucks, gas nozzles, and chamber linings) need to withstand plasma erosion and ultra-high purity requirements.
Electronic packaging and substrates: High thermal conductivity aluminum nitride substrates provide solutions for heat dissipation of high-power leds, lasers, and IGBT modules.
2:Industrial Manufacturing and Energy
Mechanical seals and bearings: Silicon carbide and silicon nitride ceramic bearings and seals are widely used in pumps, compressors, etc., featuring long service life and no need for lubrication.
Cutting tools: Alumina and silicon nitride-based ceramic inserts are used for high-speed precision machining of difficult-to-cut materials.
Energy and Environment: Electrolyte/separator materials for fuel cells, radiation-resistant components in the nuclear energy field, and wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant flue gas treatment components.
3:Medical and health care (Guardian of Life)
Orthopedic implants: Zirconia and alumina ceramics are the best choices for artificial hip joints and femoral heads of knee joints due to their high hardness, wear resistance and excellent biocompatibility.
Dental restoration: All-ceramic crowns and Bridges are gradually replacing metal-ceramic teeth due to their aesthetic appearance and good biocompatibility.
Surgical instruments: Ceramic surgical blades are sharper and more corrosion-resistant.
4:Automobiles and Transportation (Key to Electrification Transformation) :
New energy vehicles: The demand for insulating ceramic components in power battery modules, ceramic cores for sensors, and heat dissipation substrates for power semiconductor modules has soared.
Engine and Braking: Turbocharger rotors (lightweight, high-temperature resistant), ceramic brake discs (for high-performance vehicles).
5:National Defense and Aerospace (Frontier of Cutting-edge Applications) :
Armor protection: Boron carbide and silicon carbide ceramic composite armor provides lightweight and efficient protection.
Aero engines: High-temperature resistant ceramic matrix composites (CMC) are used in combustion chambers and turbine blades to enhance thrust and efficiency.
Hypersonic vehicles: Thermal protection systems in extreme environments.
In the next decade, we will witness technical ceramics becoming a "necessity" in more "impossible" scenarios.
