Quartz cotton is an inorganic fiber material made from high-purity quartz sand (SiO ₂ content usually ≥ 99.9%) through melting, spinning, or drawing. It has core characteristics such as high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, low thermal conductivity, and strong chemical stability. Its applications cover many fields such as industry, laboratory, environmental protection, and new energy. It can be classified into the following categories according to application scenarios:
1、 Laboratory field: "Core auxiliary materials" for sample pretreatment and instrument protection
In laboratory scenarios such as chemical analysis and material characterization, quartz cotton is mainly used for "filtration, adsorption, and support" to solve the problems of impurity interference and instrument protection in sample processing
Sample purification and column protection in chromatographic analysis
As a liner filler for gas chromatography (GC)/high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) injection ports, quartz wool is inert (does not react chemically with the sample) and can filter solid impurities (such as particles and high boiling residue) in the sample to prevent them from entering the chromatographic column and causing column blockage; At the same time, it can disperse liquid samples into small droplets, improve sample gasification efficiency, reduce peak broadening, and ensure analysis accuracy.
For example, when detecting pesticide residues in food, impurities such as oil and pigments in the sample extraction solution will be adsorbed by quartz wool to avoid contaminating the chromatographic column and extend its lifespan.
Filtration and adsorption in sample pretreatment
For pre-treatment steps such as solid phase extraction (SPE) and microwave digestion, quartz wool can be used as a filter layer to separate solid particles in the sample (such as sediment in soil samples and fibers in plant samples); It can also adsorb polar impurities (such as water and small molecule organic acids) in the sample, improving the accuracy of subsequent detection.
For example, when microwave digesting metal samples, filtering the digestion solution with quartz wool can remove incompletely dissolved oxide precipitates and avoid interfering with the detection results of atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS).
Support and Insulation in High Temperature Experiments
In high-temperature equipment such as muffle furnaces and tube furnaces, quartz wool can be used as a supporting material for sample carriers (such as supporting quartz boats and crucibles), or filled in instrument gaps to provide insulation, prevent heat loss, and avoid contamination caused by direct contact between metal components and samples (such as metal ion leaching).
2、 Industrial field: "Functional materials" for high-temperature and corrosion-resistant scenarios
In industrial production, quartz cotton has become a key material for high-temperature equipment and anti-corrosion engineering due to its high temperature resistance (long-term use temperature can reach 1000-1200 ℃, short-term resistance above 1400 ℃) and acid and alkali resistance
Insulation and heat preservation of high-temperature equipment
As a lining insulation material for kilns, boilers, and cracking furnaces, quartz cotton has an extremely low thermal conductivity (about 0.03W/(m · K) at 200 ℃), far lower than traditional insulation cotton (such as rock wool and glass wool), which can effectively reduce equipment heat loss and energy consumption; At the same time, its high temperature resistance can adapt to the high temperature environment inside the kiln, avoiding the aging and combustion of insulation materials at high temperatures.
For example, filling the interlayer of the furnace wall of a glass kiln with quartz wool can reduce the surface temperature from 500 ℃ to below 80 ℃, improving operational safety.
Auxiliary for metal smelting and heat treatment
During the casting and annealing processes of metals such as aluminum alloys and stainless steel, quartz wool can serve as a "covering material" to protect the surface of the molten metal and prevent oxidation; It can also be used as a "sealing material" for heat treatment furnaces, filling the gaps in the furnace door, maintaining an inert atmosphere inside the furnace (such as nitrogen or argon), and avoiding metal oxidation or carburizing.
Lining of corrosion-resistant pipelines and equipment
For pipelines and storage tanks that transport strong acids (such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid), strong bases (such as sodium hydroxide), or organic solvents, quartz wool can be used as an inner lining or gasket to prevent equipment corrosion by utilizing its chemical stability (not reacting with acids and bases), while also playing a sealing and shock-absorbing role, extending equipment service life.
3、 Environmental Protection and New Energy Fields: Key Carriers for Filtration and Catalysis
In environmental protection and new energy production, quartz cotton is mainly used for "pollutant filtration" and "catalyst carrier", playing an efficient separation and catalytic auxiliary role:
High temperature filtration in exhaust gas treatment
As a high-temperature filter material for industrial waste gas (such as power plant flue gas and waste incineration exhaust gas), quartz cotton can filter dust particles (such as PM2.5 and fly ash) in the waste gas in a high temperature environment of 300-800 ℃, while withstanding the corrosion of acidic gases (such as SO ₂ and NOx) in the waste gas, avoiding filter material failure.
For example, in the exhaust treatment system of a waste incineration plant, quartz cotton filter bags can effectively intercept carrier particles of pollutants such as dioxins, improving purification efficiency.
Advanced oxidation catalytic carriers in water treatment
In the treatment of difficult to degrade organic wastewater (such as printing and dyeing wastewater, pharmaceutical wastewater), quartz cotton can be used as a "catalyst carrier" to load titanium dioxide (TiO ₂), ozone catalysts, etc., and accelerate the degradation of organic pollutants through adsorption catalysis synergy; Its porous structure can also increase the contact area between wastewater and catalyst, improving treatment efficiency.
Thermal insulation and insulation of new energy batteries
In the production of lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells, quartz wool can serve as a "thermal insulation layer between cells" to prevent local overheating and loss of control of heat caused by battery short circuits; It can also serve as a support layer for electrode materials, utilizing its high stability to avoid reactions with the electrolyte and enhance the safety and cycle life of the battery.