Ⅰ. Learn about the “non-ferrous metals” industry
The non-ferrous metals industry is an industry that explores, mines, smelts and produces the upstream bulk raw materials needed for the construction of the national economy. It has developed along with human civilisation through the years and is also a more mature traditional industry. In the process of the country’s development and progress, the utilisation rate of non-ferrous metals is very high, from the defence industry and people’s livelihood projects to household appliances and other products.
01 Non-ferrous metal types
Non-ferrous metals are the collective name for metals other than iron, manganese and chromium, and can be divided into heavy, light, precious and rare metals.
Heavy metals: such as copper, lead and zinc.
Light metals: such as aluminium, magnesium.
Precious metals: such as gold, silver, platinum.
Rare metals: tungsten, molybdenum, germanium, lithium, lanthanum, uranium.
02 Non-ferrous metal companies
Companies in the non-ferrous metals industry are divided into two main types: upstream mining enterprises and downstream processing enterprises.
Upstream mining companies mainly explore, mine, smelt and process mines.
The downstream processing enterprises mostly carry out downstream processing by purchasing smelted metal products (such as electrolytic copper, etc.), manufacturing processed products (such as copper rods, copper sheets and strips, copper foil, etc.) and selling them to the public.
Ⅱ. Expanded and innovative applications of “non-ferrous” metals
With technological advances such as big data, cloud computing and mobile internet giving rise to new industries in intelligent mining and the continuous expansion of new applications in new energy and new materials, the development of the non-ferrous metals industry has ushered in new opportunities.
At present, the application and research of non-ferrous new energy materials is very extensive, such as the application of non-ferrous metals in the use of batteries, hydrogen storage and nuclear energy materials, which can achieve better results, and their technology is becoming increasingly mature.
01 Non-ferrous metals in batteries
Non-ferrous metals can be used in batteries to effectively improve the performance of battery materials. The preparation of electrode materials to enhance the performance of battery products cannot be achieved without non-ferrous metals.
For example, the application of non-ferrous metals in lithium batteries.
Most of the traditional negative electrode materials for lithium batteries are graphite, which has a better bonding with non-carbon materials, and can effectively improve the performance of the battery when combined with non-ferrous metals. If the nano-alloy is combined with carbon to make a composite material, the battery electrode formed has the characteristics of high capacity and good stability. The research and development of new types of lithium batteries has yielded great results, such as the development of all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries composed of nano-composites. These batteries have a high capacity, long cycle life and good heat resistance.
02 Application of non-ferrous metals in hydrogen storage materials
Hydrogen storage is the most critical aspect and the technical bottleneck. There are many ways to store hydrogen, among which gaseous hydrogen storage has unsafe factors such as easy leakage of hydrogen and is not suitable for mass production. With the development of non-ferrous metals, attention is gradually shifting to solid state hydrogen storage at this stage. Traditional hydrogen storage generally uses the rare earth system as the material, while at this stage mainly uses titanium and magnesium system metals as the hydrogen storage material. Among them, magnesium-based hydrogen storage materials have the characteristics of low heat of hydrogen generation and high hydrogen storage capacity, and are the most widely used in practical applications.
03 Non-ferrous metals in nuclear energy materials
Non-ferrous metals are widely used in nuclear reactors, such as zirconium-based nuclear materials, which have the advantages of good mechanical properties, accelerated creep, increased stress cracking, irradiation resistance and corrosion resistance, and can be used as wrapping materials in nuclear reactors. At this stage, the research of metal composites with light texture, small volume and good shielding effect is the latest development direction of non-ferrous metals. For example, metal composites prepared with metal-type boron-containing phases and lead as the main component have the characteristics of structural integration and good shielding function against nuclear radiation.
Ⅲ. Laboratory supplies for physical and chemical analysis of non-ferrous metals
Corrosion resistant high temperature electric heating plates
PFA Acid Purification System
Airtight pressure digestion tanks
PFA Vials
Teflon laboratory utensils