The application of advanced ceramics in the fields of consumer electronics and household appliances

Due to the specific fine structure and a series of excellent properties such as high strength, high hardness, high temperature resistance, transparency, and piezoelectricity, advanced ceramics are widely used in various fields of the national economy such as electronics and machinery. Advanced ceramics have gradually become an important component of new materials and a crucial material for the development of many high-tech fields. It is understood that the global advanced ceramic market reached a scale of 11.068 billion US dollars in 2019, and is expected to reach 16.883 billion US dollars in 2026. The compound growth rate (CAGR) from 2020 to 2026 is 5.73%. The development trend of advanced ceramic industry is good, and consumer electronics and household appliances are closely related to our lives. So, what applications can advanced ceramic materials have? Let's continue to look further.

1. Ceramic capacitors

Ceramic capacitors are used in household appliances such as color televisions, electronic computers, cameras, recorders, VCDs, DVD players, telephones, mobile phones, electronic game consoles, health massagers, acupoint therapy devices, clothing dryers, washing machines, air conditioners, etc. AC/DC high-voltage ceramic capacitors are also widely used in lasers, radars, high-voltage sodium lamps, X-rays, submarine coaxial cables, night vision devices, and so on.

2. Battery

Many types of batteries are used in various electronic instruments, electronic devices, and household appliances, and the development of batteries is remarkable. Ceramic materials are one of the important materials that make up batteries. If Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) ceramic materials are used as solid electrolyte materials for fuel cells, or various ceramic separator materials in lithium-ion batteries.

3. Temperature sensing element

The motors in household appliances always require minimizing size, improving efficiency, and reducing costs, so there is not much margin left in terms of overload capacity. PTC semiconductor ceramics can be used to monitor the temperature of the motor stator winding, ensuring that the motor operates within the allowable insulation temperature. Of course, PTC thermistors can also be used as constant temperature heating elements, which have the advantages of safety, reliability, contactless, power-saving, and long service life. They are used in hair permers, heating slippers, rice cookers, heaters, clothing dryers, and so on. In addition, paralleling a PTC thermistor with a ballast in the fluorescent lamp circuit can increase the starting current, quickly ignite the fluorescent lamp, and also have benefits for extending the lifespan of the fluorescent lamp.

4. Piezoelectric ceramic sheets

Ceramic filters and notch filters are generally composed of one or more piezoelectric ceramic oscillators, which are actually a piezoelectric chip sandwiched between two electrodes. Ceramic filters and notch filters are circuit components that are highly sensitive to frequency. Their characteristics are: small size, low cost, no adjustment, and high reliability. Ceramic filters and notch filters have been applied in household appliances such as recorders (models include 465K series, LT-W22-10.7MHz, etc.), televisions (models include LTB6.5MHz filters, XT4.43MHz notch filters, surface acoustic wave filters, etc.), and more.

The earliest ceramic sensing element used in household appliances was the ceramic pickup in record players. Here, the stylus is a sensitive component that moves along the groove of the record and generates mechanical vibration. Piezoelectric ceramic plates are sensing components that convert mechanical vibration into electrical signals, which are amplified and sent to the speaker, allowing the recorded sound on the record to be replayed. Later, piezoelectric ceramic microphones were made, which directly convert sound vibrations into electrical outputs.

For example, the frost sensor in a refrigerator is composed of a piezoelectric ceramic plate and a metal plate bonded together as the sensing element. The ultrasonic remote control for TV channel switching also utilizes the piezoelectric effect of piezoelectric ceramics.

5. Ceramic phone backboard and MLCC (multilayer ceramic capacitor)

Nano zirconia ceramic material has small signal shielding and is convenient for wireless charging. The antenna structure is easy to design and has a warm and jade like texture and rich and colorful colors. At the same time, it combines the excellent mechanical properties and aesthetic characteristics of ceramic materials. Therefore, it has gained the favor of many 5G mobile phone manufacturers. It has been applied on brands such as Huawei, OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, LG, Samsung, etc.

It is understood that a 5G phone will use around 1000 MLCCs (multilayer ceramic capacitors), which are known as the "rice of the electronics industry". Japanese companies represented by Murata and TDK have the greatest say in the industry. When TDK abandoned the low-end MLCC market and turned to high-end MLCC products, it led to a shortage of goods in the market, causing panic for more than two years.

6. Fluorescent ceramics for lighting/display

Fluorescent ceramics have high absorption coefficient and refractive index, as well as good transparency, high hardness, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, simple manufacturing process, low production cost, and can be produced in large quantities; The doping concentration is easy to control, and Ce3+doping can be evenly distributed in ceramics. Therefore, fluorescent ceramics with high thermal conductivity and good thermal quenching performance are the most promising fluorescent conversion materials for high-power lighting/display. Can be applied to high brightness lighting and display fields such as car headlights, airport lighting, military flashlights, multimedia projectors, laser TVs, etc. The Fujian Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed YAG transparent fluorescent ceramic white light high-power LED packaging technology using ceramics as materials, breaking through the 1000WCOB light source packaging technology (K-COB) barrier, and successfully achieving industrialization through Fujian Zhongke Xinyuan Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd.

Advanced ceramic materials are playing an increasingly important role in high-tech industries and traditional industry transformation due to their excellent high-temperature mechanical properties and unique combinations of optical, acoustic, electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties or multifunctional composite effects. Demand is the driving force for development and innovation. The increasingly high performance requirements of ceramic products in various industries have driven the continuous development of advanced ceramics. The technological progress generated in the related ceramic field has also promoted technological innovation in the application industry, driving the overall development of various industries.