The applications of mullite

Mullite refers to a series of minerals composed of aluminosilicate and it is a high-quality refractory raw materials.

Mullite ore is used in the production of high temperature refractories, ceramics, metallurgy, foundry, electronics and other industries. It has high temperature resistance, high strength, small thermal conductivity, energy-saving effect and other characteristics.

Mullite is mainly used in the following applications

•  Refractory material field

Refractories prepared from mullite are widely used in high-temperature equipment such as muffle furnaces, calciners, boilers and rotary kilns.  As a high performance refractory material, mullite has the advantages of high melting point, uniform expansion, excellent thermal shock stability, high load softening point, low creep value at high temperature, high hardness, and good chemical resistance. The high temperature resistant equipment prepared by mullite is not only high temperature resistant, but also long life and corrosion resistant. Mullite refractory castable generally uses mullite aggregate as raw material and configured into a kind of low temperature insulation refractory material, generally used in petrochemical industry tube heating furnace, light diesel fuel, sulfur recovery device, steam boiler, etc. The advantage of mullite refractory castable is that its refractory temperature is higher than other thermal insulation castables, so it can be directly contacted with the flame and used directly as the lining of the furnace.

•  Electrical field

Modern computer systems are composed of ultra-high performance integrated circuits, which has led to extensive research into ceramic substrates with low dielectric constants. The application of mullite in the field of electrical properties is reflected in its ability to serve as an excellent substrate material with a very low dielectric constant while being able to bear high-density circuits. Therefore, mullite ceramics and mullite-based glass-ceramic composites are used as high-performance integrated circuit materials.

•  Other Fields

Mullite has many applications in other areas as well. For example, mullite can be used as permeable ceramic components, which are characterized by high mechanical strength, more uniform distribution of pores and good permeability. In addition, mullite composites can be used as catalyst carriers with good chemical stability and heat resistance, and can be loaded with a variety of catalysts for petroleum cracking, automotive exhaust treatment, and wastewater treatment. Mullite ceramic alloys can also be used for brake pad linings, which are now widely used in aircraft and high speed rail systems as well as automotive brake pads due to the material's better heat and wear resistance than polymer-prepared brake materials.