Ceramics have huge application prospects in emerging strategic industries such as aerospace, new energy vehicles, semiconductors, and high-end equipment.
According to the latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, from January to November, my country's new energy vehicle production and sales completed 6.253 million units and 6.067 million units respectively, a year-on-year increase of approximately 100%, with a market share of 25%. In addition to the growth rate of production and sales far exceeding the market during the same period, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles has also exceeded 36% and is still increasing. With the continuous advancement of electric vehicle technology, the replacement of component materials and designs is accelerating. Advanced ceramic materials are fully reflected in the application of new energy electric vehicles with their special performance advantages. Among them, HIP silicon nitride bearing balls and high thermal conductivity silicon nitride substrates are extremely popular.
With the development of society and the improvement of people's lives, the clinical application of artificial respirators and artificial organs will become more and more widespread. Metal materials such as stainless steel and cobalt alloys have long been used as orthopedics in my country because of their excellent mechanical properties and control properties. Therefore, the research and market for bioceramics or coating materials with better compatibility and health are exploding.
Biomedical ceramics such as Al2O3, ZrO2, ZTA, Si3N4 and their composite ceramic materials are often used in surgical load-bearing prostheses, dental implants, bone substitutes, etc. due to their excellent fracture toughness and wear resistance. Among them, silicon nitride's bactericidal effect and self-lubricating properties are combined, and it has long-term and stable biological stability when used as an implant; zirconia is often used as dental restorative materials because of its good performance and appearance, but its strength is due to glass ceramics.
The global medical ceramic materials market size will be approximately US$15 billion in 2022. In China, the market size of medical ceramic materials in 2022 will be approximately US$4.5 billion. Among them, alumina ceramics account for the largest proportion, about 60%. Zirconia ceramics are mostly used in the dental field, while silicon nitride ceramics are used in orthopedic implants.
In various extreme application environments, ceramics can always stand out with their excellent performance. Among them, aerospace and military industries are very popular application markets for advanced ceramics. In the aerospace market, "high temperature resistance" and "stealth" are the two main development lines of ceramics. As the potential of single crystals, thermal barrier coatings and active air cooling is gradually exhausted, the need for new high-temperature-resistant structural materials for the new generation of military aeroengines has become increasingly urgent, and SiC/SiC-CMC has become one of the first choices for high-temperature-resistant structural materials. Silicon carbide fiber plays a major reinforcing and toughening role in SiC/SiC-CMC. Silicon carbide fiber with a temperature resistance of over 1200°C is the most critical raw material for SiC/SiC-CMC and has become the focus of research and competition among aviation powers.
Absorbing material is one of the most important stealth materials. It is generally composed of a matrix material (or binder) and an absorbing medium (absorbent). Among ceramic absorbing materials, silicon carbide is the main component for making multi-band absorbing materials; ceramic infrared stealth material is a coating composed of inorganic ceramic nanomaterials and inorganic polymer materials. By finely controlling inorganic ceramic nanoparticles Evenly dispersed in the inorganic polymer matrix to achieve efficient broadband electromagnetic wave absorption.
