In the grand map of materials science, quartz fiber is like a brilliant new star, opening a new era with its unique properties and wide application prospects. This seemingly ordinary yet powerful material is quietly changing our understanding and application of material properties.

The Essence and Characteristics of Quartz Fiber

Quartz fiber, mainly composed of silicon dioxide (SiO ₂), has extremely high purity, generally reaching over 99.9%. This high-purity characteristic endows quartz fibers with many excellent properties. Firstly, it has excellent high-temperature resistance. In high temperature environments, many materials undergo deformation, melting, and even decomposition, but quartz fibers can remain stable. For example, in the aerospace field, when a spacecraft re enters the atmosphere, the surface will experience intense friction with the air, resulting in extremely high temperatures. Quartz fiber-reinforced composite materials can withstand such high temperatures, protecting the internal structure of the spacecraft from damage.

Secondly, quartz fibers have excellent chemical stability. It hardly reacts with chemicals such as acids and bases, which makes it widely used in fields such as chemical engineering and electronics. In chemical production, some highly corrosive media require special containers for storage and transportation. Containers made of quartz fiber-reinforced composite materials can effectively meet this demand, extend the service life of containers, and reduce production costs.

In addition, quartz fibers also have good electrical insulation and low dielectric constant. In the field of electronic information, with the continuous miniaturization and high-frequency of electronic products, the requirements for the electrical properties of materials are becoming increasingly high. Quartz fiber, as an ideal insulation material, can effectively reduce losses in signal transmission and improve the performance and stability of electronic devices. For example, using quartz fiber reinforced substrates in high-speed circuit boards can significantly improve the speed and quality of signal transmission.

Preparation process of quartz fiber

The preparation process of quartz fiber is a complex and delicate process. At present, the main preparation methods include chemical vapor deposition (CVD), sol - gel and melt spinning. The chemical vapor deposition method decomposes gaseous silicon source compounds at high temperatures to deposit quartz fibers on the surface of the substrate. This method can produce high-quality and high-purity quartz fibers, but it requires large equipment investment and high production costs. It is mainly used to prepare high-performance special quartz fibers.

The sol gel method is to hydrolyze and condense the precursors such as metal alkoxides or inorganic salts in solution to form sol, then transform the sol into gel through the gel process, and finally prepare quartz fiber through drying, sintering and other processes. This method has the advantages of simple process and low cost, but the strength of the prepared quartz fibers is relatively low. It is generally used to prepare quartz fiber products with low strength requirements.

The melt spinning method is to heat quartz raw materials to a molten state, and then extrude them through a spinneret to form fibers. This method has high production efficiency and is suitable for large-scale industrial production. In actual production, in order to improve the performance of quartz fibers, raw materials are usually pretreated, and process parameters such as melting temperature and spinning speed are controlled. For example, a certain enterprise has successfully prepared high-strength and high modulus quartz fibers by optimizing the melt spinning process, and the products have strong competitiveness in the market.

Application of Quartz Fiber in Aerospace Field

The aerospace industry has extremely strict requirements for material performance, and quartz fiber has been widely used in this field due to its excellent properties. In the field of spacecraft, quartz fiber reinforced composite materials are used to manufacture thermal protection systems for spacecraft. Like the US space shuttle, its body surface is covered with a large amount of quartz fiber insulation tiles, which can withstand temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius when the spacecraft re enters the atmosphere, protecting the electronic devices inside the spacecraft and the safety of astronauts.

In the field of aviation engines, quartz fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites can be used to manufacture high-temperature components such as engine blades and combustion chambers. These components need to withstand high temperature, high pressure, and high-speed airflow during operation. The addition of quartz fibers can improve the strength and toughness of the material, extend the service life of the components, and enhance the performance and reliability of the engine. For example, a new type of aircraft engine uses ceramic matrix composite blades reinforced with quartz fibers, which increases the engine's thrust by 10% and reduces fuel consumption by 8%.

In addition, quartz fiber can also be used to manufacture antenna covers for aerospace vehicles. The antenna cover needs to have good wave transmission and mechanical properties, and the low dielectric constant and high mechanical strength of quartz fiber make it an ideal material for manufacturing antenna covers. It can ensure that the antenna works normally in complex environments, improving the communication and navigation capabilities of the aircraft.

The application of quartz fiber in the field of electronic information

Quartz fibers also play an important role in the field of electronic information. With the rapid development of 5G technology, the performance requirements for high-frequency circuit boards are becoming increasingly high. Quartz fiber reinforced copper-clad laminates have the advantages of low dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, and high dimensional stability, which can meet the requirements of 5G communication equipment for signal transmission speed and quality. For example, quartz fiber reinforced copper-clad laminates have been widely used in some high-end smartphones and base station equipment to improve the communication performance of the devices.

Quartz fiber can also be used to manufacture optical fibers. Fiber optic cables, as an important component of modern communication networks, have advantages such as fast transmission speed, large capacity, and strong anti-interference ability. Quartz fiber has excellent optical properties and is one of the main materials for manufacturing optical fibers. By doping different elements, the optical properties of quartz fibers can be adjusted to meet different communication needs. For example, in long-distance communication, using germanium doped quartz fiber can improve the transmission distance and quality of optical signals.

In addition, in the field of electronic packaging, quartz fiber reinforced composite materials can be used to manufacture packaging shells. It can provide good mechanical protection and heat dissipation performance, while also having a low coefficient of thermal expansion, which can ensure the stability of electronic components in different temperature environments. For example, in the packaging of some high-performance chips, the use of quartz fiber-reinforced composite material shells can effectively improve the reliability and service life of the chips.

The future development trend of quartz fiber

With the continuous advancement of technology, the application prospects of quartz fiber will be even broader. In terms of performance improvement, researchers will focus on developing quartz fibers with higher strength, higher modulus, and lower loss. By optimizing the preparation process and doping modification methods, the performance of quartz fibers can be further improved to meet the demand for materials in high-end fields. For example, future aerospace vehicles may require lighter and stronger structural materials, and high-performance quartz fibers are expected to be an ideal choice.

In terms of application expansion, quartz fiber will play a greater role in fields such as new energy and environmental protection. In the field of new energy, quartz fiber can be used to manufacture substrates for solar cells and blades for wind turbines. In the field of environmental protection, quartz fiber can be used to manufacture efficient filtering materials for air and water purification. For example, the quartz fiber air filtration material developed by a certain enterprise can effectively remove fine particles and harmful gases from the air, with a purification efficiency of over 99%.

In addition, with the development of intelligent manufacturing, the production process of quartz fiber will continue to be intelligent and automated. By introducing advanced sensors and control systems, real-time monitoring and precise control of the production process can be achieved, improving production efficiency and product quality. Meanwhile, intelligent production can also reduce labor costs and energy consumption, achieving green and sustainable development.