Silicon Carbide
Silicon carbide, also known as carborundum, is a compound of silicon and carbon with a chemical formula of SiC. It occurs naturally as the extremely rare mineral moissanite. Silicon carbide is a semiconductor material with excellent thermal conductivity, high hardness and strength, and good electrical conductivity.
Silicon carbide is the workhorse of numerous industrial processes, and it has attracted substantial attention across various industries due to its unique set of properties. It is used in a variety of applications from electronics, electrochemical processes, automotive and industrial components, abrasives, and optical coatings.
Silicon carbide can be produced from both synthetic and natural sources. It can be either crystalline or amorphous, depending on the process used to make it. Synthetic sources include coal tar pitch, oil shale, and acetylene. Natural sources include the rare mineral moissanite, which occur in extremely small quantities.
The main use of silicon carbide is in the production of abrasives. Its coarser grades are used to make grinding wheels and other forms of abrasives that are used in metalworking and in the production of semiconductor materials. Its finer grades are used as polishing and lapping compounds, and it is also an important ingredient in many polishes, abrasives and ceramics.
Silicon carbide has many advantages over traditional abrasive materials. For example, it has an unparalleled hardness which is second only to diamond, and it is still very tough even when compared to other industrial abrasive materials. This makes silicon carbide abrasives ideal for applications that require both a high degree of wear resistance and a good level of cutting performance.
Silicon carbide is also non-abrasive, meaning that it does not create a dust that can contaminate sensitive components or clog up production machinery. This makes it much easier to work with, especially in areas where a dust-free environment needs to be maintained.
Due to its excellent thermal conductivity, silicon carbide is also widely used in short-term applications where there is a need to transfer heat quickly. It is an ideal choice for cooling circuits, bearing supports and other thermal management applications that require excellent heat transfer properties.
Finally, silicon carbide is a great insulator, both electrically and thermally. This makes it an ideal choice for basins, troughs, seals and other components that need to resist heat and electricity. Its resistance to acids and alkalis further enhances its range of applications.
Overall, silicon carbide is an invaluable material for a wide variety of industries and has a broad range of uses. This flexibility and its unique properties make it one of the most important, useful, and versatile industrial materials available today.
