Advanced ceramic materials have the characteristics of high modulus, high hardness, wear resistance, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, and excellent electrical insulation, light transmission and wave transmission that are not available in metal and polymer materials,As a result, it has been more and more used in the fields of aerospace, defense and military industry, machinery and chemical engineering, biomedical care, information electronics, nuclear power and new energy.
In recent years, it has basically maintained an annual growth rate of 7-10%.
In the past two decades, the international community has paid special attention to the research and development and industrialization of advanced ceramic materials. Many countries have formulated a series of research and development plans for advanced ceramic materials. , Laser ceramics, ultra-high temperature ceramics, ceramic matrix composite materials, bio-ceramics, environmentally friendly ceramics, electronic and optical communication ceramics, semiconductor chip packaging ceramics, etc. have made great progress and have been successfully applied.
Who is the strongest hegemon in the global advanced ceramic industry?
3rd place, European Union
The European Union has obvious advantages in the field of functional ceramics. Its main research is the new material technology in the field of power generation equipment, such as exhaust pipe lining, turbocharger rotor structure, ceramic piston, gas turbine rotor, etc. For example, Germany invented a ceramic capacitor for applications without safety measures. In these applications, the capacitor is usually permanently connected to the positive pole, and the series connection of the capacitor can reduce the risk of switching without taking further safety measures, so it is suitable for the design of existing user products.
The large European companies producing advanced ceramics include Saint-Gobain in France, CeramTec in Germany, Morgan in the UK, and a number of professional small and medium ceramic raw materials companies in Germany such as Starck, Sintering Equipment company such as FCT company.
Saint-Gobain is one of the world's top 100 companies and a pioneer in the world's industrial engineering materials. Its annual sales revenue exceeds 30 billion U.S. dollars, of which high-performance ceramic materials account for more than 15%. Saint-Gobain has acquired the famous American Carborundum and Norton ceramic companies.
CaramTec is the largest technical ceramic company in Germany. It produces a variety of advanced ceramic materials that are used in various fields of modern industry and biomedicine.
Morgan is a medium-sized company in the UK. It uses carbon materials and structural ceramics as its main products. It has set up more than 160 production plants in more than 60 countries.
The sixth EU framework plan supports a wide range of research in multiple fields, some of which are dedicated to advanced preparation technologies for high-performance ceramics and their composites, especially France, the United Kingdom, and Germany to strengthen ceramic matrix composites and ultra-high temperature with aerospace applications background Research on the preparation technology of ceramic materials, for example, Germany has developed pulse current sintering equipment that can continuously sinter large and dense high-temperature ceramic parts.
No. 2, the United States
Since 2000, the US Department of Energy and the American Ceramic Society have jointly funded and implemented the 20-year American Advanced Ceramics Development Plan. This plan organically combines basic research, technological development and product application to jointly promote advanced The development of ceramic materials preparation technology, including the preparation technology of laser transparent ceramic materials for national defense and wave-transmitting ceramic materials for missile guidance.
In addition, based on the needs of the development of aerospace technology, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is implementing a large-scale research and development plan in the development and preparation of high-temperature structural ceramics, and the preparation of high-temperature ceramic matrix composite materials is a research focus. The goal is to increase the operating temperature of the engine's hot end components to 1650°C or higher. At present, the United States has prioritized the development of new ceramic materials such as nano-ceramic technology, ceramic armor, environmentally friendly ceramics, ceramics for nuclear power, light-transmitting and wave-transmitting ceramics and other preparation technologies, and significant progress has been made.
On the other hand, although the United States is a major producer of structural ceramics, it is also the largest consumer market for structural ceramics. Therefore, many ceramic products have to be imported from Europe and Japan. In the United States, manufacturers of structural ceramics include CoorsTek and Corning. As a leading supplier of high-tech ceramics in the US market, CoorsTek's main business is the production of various types of ceramic substrates for the semiconductor industry, electric vacuum ceramics, precision ceramic parts, and ceramic parts for semiconductor equipment. Founded in 1851, Corning is a major supplier of wafer ceramics, optoelectronic materials, high-performance special glass, glass fibers, optical cables, and automotive exhaust filters. Its honeycomb ceramic technology and production are in a leading position in the world.
No. 1, Japan
Japan is in a leading position in the field of high toughness ceramics and electronic ceramics. At present, the global advanced ceramic component market is dominated by Japanese manufacturers. All kinds of advanced ceramic products, including thermal sensors, pressure sensors, magnetic sensors, gas sensors, light sensors, etc., Japan occupies most of the market. Japan is in a leading position in the research and development of new superplastic ceramics, plastic ceramics, and ceramic engines.
On the basis of the development of high-tech ceramics and precision ceramic elements, Japan has accumulated some special products through R&D and manufacturing of ceramic scissors, ceramic scalpels, ceramic scales, ceramic heaters, artificial ceramic binders, ceramic ballpoint pens and other heating elements as well as daily Ceramic production method.
For example, Kyocera's global business involves various fields such as raw materials, parts, equipment, and machinery, as well as services and networks. Kyocera was originally a manufacturer of technical ceramics. Today, most of Kyocera`s products are related to telecommunications. It produces downstream products related to high-performance ceramic materials, including wireless mobile phones and network equipment, semiconductor components, RF and microwave product packages, passive electronic components, crystal oscillators, and connections. Devices, optoelectronic products used in optoelectronic communication networks.
NGK mainly produces ceramic spark plugs for automobile engine motors, high-quality ceramics, including wear-resistant parts, ultrasonic transducers and sensors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment products, electrical equipment products, and other ceramic products. It has been committed to developing products with excellent environmental efficiency. Contribute to the new automobile society that the world pursues.
From the perspective of the development and production of structural ceramic products, Toshiba is in a leading position. The sensitive components in its semiconductor production mainly use materials such as alumina, silicon nitride, zirconia, and silicon carbide.
In addition, Japan has a strong voice in the synthesis of ceramic powders (such as ZrO2, Si3N4, AlON, Nd: YAG, BaTiO3).