Zirconia Ceramic Tubes vs Boron Nitride Tubes: Properties, Specs & Applications

Zirconia ceramic tubes are made from pure zirconia powder by high-temperature sintering. Zirconia (ZrO₂) is usually a white, odorless and tasteless crystal with a relative density of 5.85, a melting point of 2680°C, a boiling point of 4300°C and a hardness second only to diamond. It is chemically stable and has a high melting point, high resistivity, high refractive index and low coefficient of thermal expansion. Because of these characteristics, zirconia ceramic tubes play an important role in many fields.

The main component of boron nitride tubes is boron nitride (BN). Boron nitride has a variety of crystal types, and the common hexagonal boron nitride ceramic structure is similar to graphite, known as ‘white graphite’.
With their unique crystal structure, boron nitride tubes exhibit a range of excellent properties and are widely used in specific fields.

Comparison of zirconia ceramic tube and boron nitride tube characteristics

Mechanical Properties

Strength and hardness: Zirconia ceramic tubes have excellent mechanical strength and compression resistance and are able to withstand high pressure without deformation or fracture. Its high hardness performs well in some scenarios that require wear resistance.

Boron nitride tubes have relatively low hardness, especially hexagonal boron nitride tubes, and have self-lubricating properties, which gives them an advantage in some applications where a coefficient of friction is required, although they are not as good as zirconia ceramic tubes at withstanding high pressures and high wear.

Toughness: Zirconia ceramics have high toughness through a martensitic phase transition toughening mechanism, which enables them to absorb energy through phase transitions when subjected to impact, reducing crack expansion and thus increasing the material’s resistance to damage. In contrast, boron nitride tubes have average toughness and are more susceptible to damage when subjected to larger impacts.

Thermal Properties

Coefficient of Thermal Expansion: In high-temperature environments, where differences in thermal expansion caused by temperature changes result in deformation and damage to metal components, zirconia ceramic tubes can effectively mitigate this problem with their low coefficient of expansion, increasing the service life of the equipment.
Boron nitride tubes have a low coefficient of thermal expansion; for example, hexagonal boron nitride has a relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion among all types of ceramics, which makes it dimensionally stable and produces less thermal stress in environments with rapid temperature changes.

Thermal conductivity: zirconia ceramic tubes have a relatively low thermal conductivity and a certain degree of thermal insulation, which can be used in some high-temperature equipment components that have requirements for thermal insulation. Boron nitride tubes, especially hexagonal boron nitride tubes, have good thermal conductivity, and in application scenarios that require rapid heat dissipation or heat homogenization, such as heat dissipation components for electronic equipment, they can quickly transfer heat out and maintain stable equipment operation.

Chemical properties

Corrosion resistance: zirconia ceramic tube has good corrosion resistance, can withstand a variety of chemical media, such as in the chemical industry, can be used in pipelines, valves, pumps and other components, and can effectively resist chemical erosion. Boron nitride tube also has good chemical stability and, in some corrosive environments, can maintain stable performance.

Chemical activity: zirconium oxide is relatively stable chemically, and it is not easy to have chemical reactions with other substances under general conditions. Boron nitride may react chemically with some substances under extreme conditions such as high temperature and high pressure, but its chemical activity is low in regular-use environments and can meet the needs of most applications.

Comparison of Zirconia Ceramic Tubes and Boron Nitride Tubes Specification Sheet

Item	Zirconia Ceramic Tube	Boron Nitride Tube
Common Inner Diameter Range (mm)	1 – 200	0.5 – 150
Common Outer Diameter Range (mm)	3 – 250	2 – 200
Common Length Range (mm)	10 – 2000	5 – 1500
Wall Thickness Range (mm)	0.5 – 20	0.3 – 15
Density (g/cm³)	5.6 – 6.0	2.2 – 2.3
Hardness (HRA)	85 – 92	30 – 40 (Hexagonal BN)

Zirconia Ceramic Tubes vs Boron Nitride Tubes Applications

Industrial field

Zirconia ceramic tube application: In chemical equipment, it is often used to manufacture pipelines, valves, pumps and other key components to ensure the safe and to reduce equipment failure due to corrosion and other problems. In high-temperature furnace equipment, used as a furnace tube, can withstand high-temperature environments to ensure the uniformity and stability of the temperature inside the furnace to improve heating efficiency; widely used in metallurgy, glass manufacturing and other industries in the high-temperature heating process.

Boron nitride tube applications: in the electronics industry, it can be used as electronic components of the heat pipe and insulation support parts, effectively disseminating the heat generated by the electronic components while preventing circuit short-circuits to protect the normal operation and stability of electronic equipment, commonly used in integrated circuits, semiconductor devices and other manufacturing.

Medical field

Zirconia ceramic tube applications: Its high strength, low wear and insulating properties enable these medical devices to work stably for a long time in the human body, reducing irritation and damage to human tissue, improving the service life and reliability of medical devices, and bringing important breakthroughs in the medical field.

Boron nitride tube application: In some medical analysis instruments, it can be used as a component of the sample transfer pipeline or reaction vessel to ensure that no chemical reaction occurs with the sample during the medical testing process to ensure the accuracy of the test results. In addition, boron nitride nanotubes also show potential in biomedical research, such as exploring applications in drug delivery and biosensors.

Electronics

Zirconia ceramic tube applications: as an insulating and protective material for electronic components, it is widely used in the fields of electricity, electronics and communications.

Boron nitride tube applications: in high-frequency, high-speed, high-density circuit design, the use of its low dielectric constant, low dielectric loss and high-frequency characteristics can be used in the manufacture of microwave transmission components, integrated circuits substrate and other key electronic components, which helps to improve the signal transmission speed and processing capacity of electronic equipment, to meet the demand for high-performance electronic components in modern electronic information technology.

Supplier

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