Natural graphite: a treasure trove material widely used, bringing infinite possibilities to modern technology
Definition and Introduction
Graphite is a mineral composed of carbon elements, and it is one of the softest known minerals present in nature. Graphite is widely distributed on Earth, especially with abundant reserves in the crust, making it widely used in industry and technology. The main component of graphite is carbon, which usually contains small amounts of impurities such as silicon, aluminum, and calcium. The crystal structure of graphite is a network structure that is composed by a single carbon atom layer, which gives graphite high conductivity and thermal conductivity, as well as excellent lubrication performance and good chemical stability.
Natural graphite is mainly divided into two types based on its genesis: cracked graphite and regional graphite. Cracked graphite refers to the formation of graphite during the decomposition of hydrocarbons into graphite and methane due to the high temperature and pressure inside the Earth's crust. This type of graphite usually has high purity and good crystal structure, so it is widely used in industry. Regional graphite refers to the graphite formed by the diffusion of carbon atoms from deep in the Earth's crust and their eventual aggregation under high temperature and pressure geological conditions. This type of graphite usually has low purity and poor crystal structure, so its industrial application is relatively limited.
The mining and processing process of natural graphite is relatively complex. Due to graphite being a very soft and fragile ore, special care is required during the mining process. Usually, blasting is used to mine graphite ore, and then the blasted ore is screened and cleaned to remove impurities and useless minerals. After screening and cleaning, the graphite ore is sent to the roasting furnace for high-temperature roasting to destroy the impurities and structure on its surface, and obtain high-purity graphite products. Finally, according to different industrial uses, graphite products are subjected to crushing, grinding, screening, and other treatments to obtain graphite products of different specifications and uses.
Characteristic of natural graphite
High conductivity: Graphite is a good electrical conductor, and its conductivity can be comparable to some metals. In the power and electronics industries, graphite is widely used in the manufacturing of products such as electrodes, circuit boards, and wires.
High temperature resistance: Graphite can maintain stable properties in high-temperature environments. At high temperatures, the strength and chemical stability of graphite increase, making it widely used in the manufacturing of high-temperature equipment and blast furnace lining.
Lubricity: Graphite has excellent lubricating properties and can be used as a lubricant in machine equipment. The graphite's performance in lubrication is dependent upon the dimension of the graphite flakes. The bigger the flakes are larger, the less friction coefficient and the better the performance of lubrication.
Chemical stability: Graphite has great chemical stability and can withstand acid, alkali, and organic solvent corrosion. Therefore, graphite is widely used in the manufacturing of chemical equipment, containers, and pipelines.
Plasticity: Graphite has great toughness and can be ground into very thin sheets. This characteristic allows graphite to be processed into various shapes and sizes of products to meet the needs of different fields.
Thermal shock resistance: Graphite can withstand severe temperature changes without damage when used at room temperature. When the temperature suddenly changes, the volume of graphite does not change much and will not crack. This characteristic enables graphite to maintain stable working conditions in both high and low temperature environments.
Rich resources: Graphite is a common mineral that is widely distributed globally and is abundant in resources. This makes the price of graphite relatively low and suitable for large-scale applications.
Application of natural graphite
The application of natural graphite is very extensive, and the following are some main application areas:
Refractory material: Graphite is a high-quality refractory material that can be used for manufacturing refractory bricks, crucibles, continuous casting powders, casting cores, casting detergents, and high resistance materials. Due to its high thermal conductivity and high temperature resistance, graphite can maintain stability of refractory materials at high temperatures, thereby improving their performance.
Iron and steel industry: In the steel industry, graphite can be added as a carburizing agent to the steelmaking furnace, increasing the carbon content of steel, thereby improving its strength and hardness. At the same time, graphite can also be used to manufacture graphite electrodes, improving their conductivity and high-temperature resistance.
Battery manufacturing: Graphite can be used as a negative electrode material for batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries. In battery manufacturing, graphite has high conductivity and energy density, which can improve the performance and lifespan of batteries.
Nuclear energy field: In the field of nuclear energy, graphite can be one of the main materials for spherical fuel elements in ball bed high-temperature gas cooled reactors, accounting for 64% of the total. Graphite has excellent neutron absorption performance and can be used to control the rate of nuclear reactions.
Mechanical manufacturing: Graphite has good lubrication and wear resistance, and can be used to manufacture various mechanical parts, such as graphite bearings, graphite seals, and graphite crucibles. These parts can work stably in high temperature, high pressure, and highly corrosive environments, suitable for various harsh working environments.
In summary, natural graphite has a wide range of applications, and in addition to the aforementioned fields, it can also be used in the manufacturing of coatings, rubber products, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Due to its many advantages, such as high conductivity, high temperature resistance, high lubricity, and chemical stability, natural graphite has been widely used in various fields.
Supplier
Graphite-corp corporate HQ is a high tech enterprise committed to the research and development, production, processing, sales and technical services of copper clad graphite materials, we are high quality graphic supplier Our Company has a diversified product structure with natural graphics, artistic graphics, composite graphics, intermediate phases, and other negative materials (silicon carbon materials, etc.). Please feel free to contact us. Or click on the needed products and send us an inquiry: sales@graphite-corp.com
