Properties of silicon nitride

Silicon Nitride has the best mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of any technical ceramic material. Sialon is a silicon nitride ceramic with added a small percentage of aluminum oxide. Sialon is an ideal material for applications where strength at high temperatures, thermal shock resistance, and corrosion resistance are needed. Silicon Nitride’s high flexural strength and excellent fracture toughness make it highly resistant to cracking, breaking, and bending, allowing it to operate under extreme conditions. Its low thermal expansion coefficient also provides outstanding thermal shock resistance. Amedica Corporation makes and develops silicon nitride ceramics. This summary was prepared to share their knowledge and passion for an incredibly versatile material with myriad medical applications. Silicon nitride is a ceramic. It is an inorganic and non-metallic silicon and nitrogen compound, two vital life elements. Discovered in 1857, silicon nitride remained a curiosity until commercial use began in the 1950s. Manufacturing costs were reduced in the 1970s–80s and silicon nitride quickly found a home in many industries. In the 1990s, naturally occurring silicon nitride was discovered in meteorite stardust, suggesting intergalactic origins from the beginning of time. To make silicon nitride, refined material powders are mixed into a slurry, from which desired shapes are crafted and finished in high-temperature pressure furnaces. These steps are similar to making pottery; the word ‘ceramic’ comes from the Greek root kéramos, which refers to pottery. Silicon nitride is a challenging and robust material that resists abrasion, corrosion, and most chemicals. It has the highest fracture resistance of any advanced ceramic. These properties have led to many applications throughout the industry. Human life is touched almost daily by silicon nitride. It is used in high-end bearings for gas and diesel engines, wind turbines, motorsports equipment, bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards, computer disk drives, machine tools, dental hand-pieces, and flap-actuators in aircraft. If corrosion, rapid wear, and electric or magnetic fields limit the use of metals, silicon nitride is used instead. Silicon nitride is even used in the bearings of underwater ocean tidal flow meters, where it withstands severe seawater corrosion conditions. Due to its extreme strength, hardness, and resistance to chemical and thermal factors, silicon nitride is commonly used in high-speed cutting tools and to break up rocks during oil fracking. Its heat resistance has led to uses in the valve trains of gas and diesel engines, rotors and stators in gas turbines, automotive turbochargers, and rocket nozzles and thrusters. Few materials can survive these extreme conditions. If you are looking for high quality, high purity and cost-effective Silicon Nitride, or if you require the latest price of Silicon Nitride, please feel free to email contact mis-asia.