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- Lithium sulfate monohydrate: ushering in a new era of sulfurized high-end glass manufacturing
- TIME£º 2025-03-26¡¡CLICKS£º567¡¡
- 1¡¢ Vulcanized high-end glass: the "window of the future" for optical materials
High end sulfurized glass (such as sulfur based glass and fluoride tellurite glass) has become a core material in the fields of intelligent automobiles, aerospace, high-end displays, etc. due to its wide spectrum, high transparency, extreme environmental resistance, and precision processing characteristics. For example, infrared sulfur based glass has a transmittance of over 90% in the near-infrared to far-infrared range, which can replace traditional germanium single crystals and reduce costs by more than 65%; Fluorine tellurite glass achieves mass production of complex optical lenses through compression molding technology, greatly improving the imaging quality of mobile phone cameras. However, the preparation of such glass requires extremely high requirements for raw material purity, melting process, and performance control, and the innovative application of lithium sulfate monohydrate (Li ₂ SO ₄ ¡¤ H ₂ O) is injecting new momentum into this field.
2¡¢ Lithium sulfate monohydrate: the "invisible pusher" for the manufacturing of sulfide glass
As an important member of the lithium salt family, lithium sulfate monohydrate plays a crucial role in the preparation of sulfurized high-end glass due to its high purity, chemical stability, and unique ion regulation ability
1. Optimize the melting process to improve the uniformity of glass
The melting of sulfur based glass requires uniform mixing of sulfides and oxides at high temperatures. Lithium sulfate monohydrate can be used as a flux to reduce the viscosity of glass melts, promote component diffusion, and thus reduce the precipitation of bubbles and impurities. For example, adding 0.5% -1.2% lithium sulfate monohydrate to fluoride tellurite glass can lower the melting temperature by 50-80 ¡æ, while improving the glass's glass forming ability and optical uniformity.
2. Adjust refractive index to enhance optical performance
The refractive index of sulfur based glass directly affects its transmittance efficiency and imaging accuracy. The lithium ions in lithium sulfate monohydrate can be embedded into the glass network structure to adjust the polarization of sulfide bonds, thereby precisely controlling the refractive index (¦¤ n adjustable range up to ¡À 0.02). This characteristic makes it particularly important in anti deformation low reflective glass - by combining indium tin oxide coating, it can achieve a light reflectivity of less than 0.5%, significantly improving the visibility of the display screen in strong light environments.
3. Breakthrough in both environmental protection and economy
The traditional preparation of sulfur based glass relies on high-energy consumption processes, while the introduction of lithium sulfate monohydrate can reduce melting time by more than 30% and lower carbon emissions. In addition, its high purity characteristic (¡Ý 99.0%) reduces subsequent purification steps, and the overall cost is reduced by 15% -20% compared to similar lithium salts.
3¡¢ Application scenarios: from laboratory to industrialization
1. Infrared optical system
Lithium sulfate monohydrate enhanced infrared sulfur based glass has been used in intelligent automotive ADAS thermal imaging systems, which can work stably in environments ranging from -40 ¡æ to 70 ¡æ, with a detection range increased to over 500 meters, helping to upgrade the safety of autonomous driving.
2. Flexible display and precision optics
Combined with chemical thinning technology, lithium sulfate monohydrate based glass can be made into flexible substrates with a thickness of only 0.1mm, which can be applied to foldable mobile phone screens and improve impact resistance by three times.
3. Medical and security equipment
The high transparency fluoride tellurite glass lens achieves micrometer level lesion imaging in medical endoscopes, while the doping of lithium sulfate monohydrate further suppresses the hydroxyl absorption peak, improving the transmittance in the mid infrared band to over 95%.
4¡¢ Industrial Chain Collaboration: Chinese Enterprises Lead the World
Domestic enterprises such as Aosi Lithium Industry (mainly engaged in lithium sulfate monohydrate and high-purity lithium salts) have formed a deep cooperation with Hubei Xinguang (a leading sulfur based glass company). The battery grade lithium sulfate monohydrate (purity ¡Ý 99.9%) provided by Aosi Lithium Industry has been successfully applied to the continuous melting production line of large-sized sulfur based glass through customized formula, with a yield rate exceeding 90%. In addition, the "lithium sulfur synergistic modification" technology developed by China National Building Materials Institute reduces the thermal expansion coefficient of glass to 3 ¡Á 10 ⁻⁶/¡æ, which is suitable for the extreme temperature change environment of space probes.
5¡¢ Future outlook: The "lithium" opportunity in the trillion dollar market
According to the "2024-2029 China Infrared Sulfur based Glass Market Report", the global sulfur based glass market size is expected to climb at a compound annual growth rate of 18.5%, and is expected to exceed $12 billion by 2029. As a core additive, the demand for lithium sulfate monohydrate will increase rapidly. In the future, with the expansion of demand for high-performance glass in emerging fields such as solid-state batteries and perovskite photovoltaics, the application boundaries of lithium sulfate monohydrate will be further expanded, becoming a "strategic pivot" for the new materials revolution.
Conclusion
From laboratory formulations to industrial scale, lithium sulfate monohydrate is redefining the performance limits of sulfurized high-end glass. It not only promotes the upgrading and iteration of optical materials, but also demonstrates the innovative strength of Chinese enterprises in the global high-end manufacturing industry chain. With the continuous breakthrough of technological barriers, this' invisible champion 'material will surely light up more technological futures!
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