Alumina conductivity

Sodium /3-aluminas (often known as simply /3-aluminas ) are examples of solid electrolytes, i,e. compounds which permit fast ionic motion (here of sodium ions) within a solid lattice, While /3-aluminas conduct reasonably well at room temperature ( 1 S/m for polycrystalline material), they are generally used at temperatures over 300°C where their conductance is greater than 10 S/m. ( Ambient solid electrolytes and batteries based on these will be considered in the next chapter.)... 

Fig. 23.2. Structure and infrared spectra of hydrogen / -alumina. (a) Silver -alumina conduction plane with an AI-OIT defect the filled circle represents the oxygen of the AI-O-AI bridge between spinel blocks, (b) Conduction plane of fi/P"-alumina. (c)...

FARRINGTON Both structural and NMR results indicate that sodium ions occupy non-equivalent sites within the beta alumina conduction-p1ane. It is unclear exactly how this non-equivalency is manifest on the microscopic level whether at unit cells or in larger domains. Similar non-equivalency does not seem to be the case in alumina. I submit that detailed models of interfacial behaviour in g-alumina must take into consideration these structural data presently available despite their ambiguities. Complete site equivalency and ion mobility should not be assumed for g-alumina. 

Lasdy, the importance of electroceramic substrates and insulators should not be overlooked. Here one strives to raise the breakdown strength by eliminating the interesting conduction mechanisms just described. Spark plugs, high voltage insulators, and electronic substrates and packages are made from ceramics like alumina, mullite [55964-99-3] and porcelain [1332-58-7]. 

This reaction is first conducted on a chromium-promoted iron oxide catalyst in the high temperature shift (HTS) reactor at about 370°C at the inlet. This catalyst is usually in the form of 6 x 6-mm or 9.5 x 9.5-mm tablets, SV about 4000 h . Converted gases are cooled outside of the HTS by producing steam or heating boiler feed water and are sent to the low temperature shift (LTS) converter at about 200—215°C to complete the water gas shift reaction. The LTS catalyst is a copper—zinc oxide catalyst supported on alumina. CO content of the effluent gas is usually 0.1—0.25% on a dry gas basis and has a 14°C approach to equihbrium, ie, an equihbrium temperature 14°C higher than actual, and SV about 4000 h . Operating at as low a temperature as possible is advantageous because of the more favorable equihbrium constants. The product gas from this section contains about 77% H2, 18% CO2, 0.30% CO, and 4.7% CH. ... 

The conversion of CO to CO2 can be conducted in two different ways. In the first, gases leaving the gas scmbber are heated to 260°C and passed over a cobalt—molybdenum catalyst. These catalysts typically contain 3—4% cobalt(II) oxide [1307-96-6] CoO 13—15% molybdenum oxide [1313-27-5] MoO and 76—80% alumina, JSifDy and are offered as 3-mm extmsions, SV about 1000 h . On these catalysts any COS and CS2 are converted to H2S. Operating temperatures are 260—450°C. The gases leaving this shift converter are then scmbbed with a solvent as in the desulfurization step. After the first removal of the acid gases, a second shift step reduces the CO content in the gas to 0.25—0.4%, on a dry gas basis. The catalyst for this step is usually Cu—Zn, which may be protected by a layer of ZnO. 

Fig. 9. A modem fluorescent lamp coating including a conductive layer of Sn02 F, then a protective coating of finely divided alumina, followed by the inexpensive halophosphate phosphor, and finally a thin layer of the triphosphor rare-earth blend.

The interelectrode insulators, an integral part of the electrode wall stmcture, are required to stand off interelectrode voltages and resist attack by slag. Well cooled, by contact with neighboring copper electrodes, thin insulators have proven to be very effective, particularly those made of alumina or boron nitride. Alumina is cheaper and also provides good anchoring points for the slag layer. Boron nitride has superior thermal conductivity and thermal shock resistance. 

Alumina, or aluminum oxide [1344-28-17, has a thermal conductivity 20 times higher than that of most oxides (5). The flexural strength of commercial high alumina ceramics is two to four times greater than those of most oxide ceramics. The drawbacks of alumina ceramics are their relatively high thermal expansion compared to the chip material (siUcon) and their moderately high dielectric constant. 

Although beryllium oxide [1304-56-9] is in many ways superior to most commonly used alumina-based ceramics, the principal drawback of beryUia-based ceramics is their toxicity thus they should be handled with care. The thermal conductivity of beryUia is roughly about 10 times that of commonly used alumina-based materials (5). BeryUia [1304-56-9] has a lower dielectric constant, a lower coefficient of thermal expansion, and slightly less strength than alumina. Aluminum nitride materials have begun to appear as alternatives to beryUia. Aluminum nitride [24304-00-5] has a thermal conductivity comparable to that of beryUia, but deteriorates less with temperature the thermal conductivity of aluminum nitride can, theoreticaUy, be raised to over 300 W/(m-K) (6). The dielectric constant of aluminum nitride is comparable to that of alumina, but the coefficient of thermal expansion is lower. 

Fig. 3. Effect of density on thermal conductivity. A, 48-mg/cm siUca fiber B, 96-mg/cm siUca fiber C, 128-mg/cm alumina—siUca fiber D, 192-mg/cm ...

Other coatings, such as TiAlN (96), TiCN, Zr02, and ZrN (97), and CrN (98) were developed for special appHcations. The last was developed for higher speed machining of titanium alloys. Sometimes a coating is developed not for its wear-resistance but for its heat insulation. The case in point is alumina coating of cBN to reduce the heat conductivity at the surface so that the cBN performance can be enhanced (99). 

Alumina—graphite refractories, almost all continuous casting ware, have come into much greater use as continuous casting has spread in steelmaking. These refractories are used in shrouds that conduct the molten metal from the ladle to the tundish, in the subentry tubes that take the metal from the tundish to the mold, in isostatically pressed stopper rods, and in shroud tubes for slab and bloom casters. The alumina—graphite compositions are used in these products because of the thermal-shock resistance and corrosion resistance they impart to the product. 

High pressure processes P > 150 atm) are catalyzed by copper chromite catalysts. The most widely used process, however, is the low pressure methanol process that is conducted at 503—523 K, 5—10 MPa (50—100 atm), space velocities of 20, 000-60,000 h , and H2-to-CO ratios of 3. The reaction is catalyzed by a copper—zinc oxide catalyst using promoters such as alumina (31,32). This catalyst is more easily poisoned than the older copper chromite catalysts and requites the use of sulfiir-free synthesis gas. 

Gas Chromatography. Gas chromatography is a well recognised method for the analysis of H—D—T mixtures. The substrate is alumina, AI2O2, coated with ferric oxide, Fe202. Neon is used as the carrier gas. Detectors are usually both thermal conductivity (caratherometer) and ion chamber detectors when tritium is involved (see Chromatography). 

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