The Use of Silicon

Silicon is extensively used for smelting into ferrosilicon alloys as an alloying element in the steel industry, and as a reducing agent in many metal smelting processes. Silicon is also a good component in aluminum alloys, and the vast majority of cast aluminum alloys contain silicon. Silicon is the raw material of ultrapure silicon in the electronic industry. Electronic devices made of ultrapure semiconductor monocrystalline silicon have advantages such as small volume, light weight, good reliability, and long lifespan. High power transistors, rectifiers, and solar cells made from silicon single crystals doped with specific trace impurities are better than those made from germanium single crystals. The research on amorphous silicon solar cells has made rapid progress, with a conversion rate of over 8%. The maximum operating temperature of the silicon molybdenum rod electric heating element can reach 1700 ℃, which has resistance that is not easy to age and good antioxidant performance. Trichlorosilane produced from silicon can be used to prepare hundreds of silicone resin lubricants and waterproof compounds. In addition, silicon carbide can be used as an abrasive, and quartz tubes made of high-purity silicon oxide are important materials for high-purity metal smelting and lighting fixtures. Paper from the 1980s - Silicon is referred to as "paper from the 1980s" by people. This is because paper can only record information, while silicon can not only record information, but also process it to obtain new information.

The world's first electronic computer, manufactured in 1945, was equipped with 18000 electronic tubes, 70000 resistors, and 10000 capacitors. The entire machine weighs 30 tons and covers an area of 170 square meters, equivalent to the size of 10 houses. And today's electronic computers, due to technological advancements and material improvements, can accommodate tens of thousands of transistors on a silicon chip the size of a fingernail; And it has a series of functions such as input, output, calculation, storage, and control information. Microporous silicon calcium insulation material is an excellent insulation material. It has the characteristics of small heat capacity, high mechanical strength, low thermal conductivity, non combustion, non-toxic and odorless, cutting ability, and convenient transportation. It can be widely used in various thermal equipment and pipelines such as metallurgy, electricity, chemical industry, ships, etc. After testing, the energy-saving benefit is better than that of insulation materials such as asbestos, cement, vermiculite and cement perlite. Special calcium silicate materials can be used as catalyst carriers and are widely used in various fields such as petroleum refining and automotive exhaust purification.