Silicon Metal
SILICON, a tetravalent metalloid, is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. Elemental silicon has a huge impact on the modern world economy. It is mostly used in the steel refining, aluminum-casting, and fine chemical industries often to make fumed silica. We are the suppliers, super stockiest & indenting agents of Silicon Metal.
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Silicon Metal
Elemental silicon has a huge impact on the modern world economy. It is mostly used in the steel refining, aluminum-casting, and fine chemical industries often to make fumed silica. However, a relatively small portion of highly purified silicon used in semiconductor electronics (< 10%) is perhaps even more crucial. The core of modern technology depends on integrated circuits, powered by silicon.
Properties
Silicon stays solid at room temperature, melting at 1414°C and boiling at 3265°C. This metal is denser in the liquid state than in the solid state, featuring a high thermal conductivity of 149 W•m−1•K−1. Silicon is an excellent heat resistor, making it great for insulating hot objects. It has a gray color and metallic luster in its crystalline form.
Silicon’s demand has steadily grown due to the growing use of aluminum in structural engineering, aircraft manufacturing, and the automotive industry. Generally, aluminum alloys are lighter and more corrosion-resistant than carbon steel. It can be crafted by adding copper, zinc, magnesium, manganese, and silicon.
Metallurgical Grade and Protection
Elemental silicon that is at least 95% pure and is not mixed with other elements is called silicon metal. Metallurgical-grade silicon is commercially produced by reacting high-purity silica with wood, charcoal, and coal using carbon electrodes in an electric arc furnace.
During this process, the temperature in the main reaction zone exceeds 1800°C. When the temperature rises above 1900°C, the carbon in these materials and the silicon go through a chemical reaction.
The chemical reaction is:
SiO2 + 2 C → Si + 2 CO
After that, liquid silicon collects in the bottom of the furnace. It is then drained and cooled. The silicon produced in this manner is metallurgical grade silicon and is at least 98% pure.
Using this method, silicon carbide (SiC) may also form an excess of carbon in either way:
SiO2 + C → SiO + CO
SiO + 2 C → SiC + CO
However, provided the concentration of SiO2 is kept high, the silicon carbide can be eliminated by the chemical reaction:
2 SiC + SiO2 → 3 Si + 2 CO
As mentioned earlier, metallurgical silicon metal is primarily used in the aluminum casting industry for manufacturing aluminum-silicon alloy parts. The remaining is utilized by the chemical industry, essentially for making fumed silica.
Applications
Silicon Metal is added to aluminum alloys to make them durable and lightweight. As a result, they are increasingly used in the automotive industry to replace heavier cast iron components. This allows weight reductions, less fuel consumption, increased efficiencies, and subsequent environmental benefits by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving fossil fuels.
Currently, demand for silicon metal has increased in the solar power generating industry where solar panels are made from silicon, which uses solar energy to produce domestic and industrial electricity. Furthermore, silicon-based polymers are also used as alternatives to hydrocarbon-based products. They appear in everyday products such as lubricants, greases, resins, and skin products. A more familiar use of silicon is silicon chips. These chips, made from semiconductor-grade silicon, are used as major components in many everyday electronic devices.
| Name | 2202 | 3303 | 411 | 441 | 521 | 553 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Si |
99.5%min |
99.3%min |
99.2%min |
99.2%min |
99.2%min |
98.5%min |
|
Fe |
0.2%max |
0.3%max |
0.4%max |
0.4%max |
0.5%max |
0.5%max |
|
Al |
0.2%max |
0.3%max |
0.1%max |
0.4%max |
0.2%max |
0.5%max |
|
Ca |
0.02%max |
0.03%max |
0.1%max |
0.1%max |
0.1%max |
0.3%max |
|
P |
0.004%max |
0.005%max |
0.005%max |
0.005%max |
0.005%max |
0.005%max |