Physical properties of sapphire
Hardness: Sapphire has a Mohs hardness of 9, second only to diamond, which makes it excellent in terms of wear resistance and suitable for use as various wear-resistant materials.
Transparency: Sapphire has excellent transparency and can transmit a wide range of spectra, from ultraviolet to near-infrared (approximately 150nm to 5500nm). This makes sapphire an ideal material for manufacturing various optical windows and lenses.
Thermal stability: Sapphire can withstand high temperatures without deformation or damage, with a melting point of approximately 2040 ° C, making it suitable for applications in high-temperature environments.
Chemical stability: Sapphire has excellent resistance to most acidic and alkaline substances, making it suitable for harsh chemical environments.
Optical properties of sapphire
High transparency: Sapphire has high transmittance in a wide range of visible light, ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths, making it an ideal material for manufacturing various optical components such as lenses, windows, filters, etc.
Birefringence: Natural sapphire is a birefringent crystal, but synthetic single crystal sapphire can be made without birefringence, which is necessary for certain precision optical applications.
Sapphire is a very important material in the field of optics. It is not only a gemstone in gemology, but also widely used in industry and technology due to its excellent physical and optical properties. The chemical formula of sapphire is Al2O3, which is a crystal form of alumina.
Application of Sapphire
Display screen protection for watches and electronic devices: Due to its high hardness and transparency, sapphire is often used as a screen protector material for watch surfaces and electronic devices such as smartphones and cameras.
Optical windows and lenses: Sapphire’s high transparency, high temperature resistance, and chemical corrosion resistance make it an ideal choice for high-performance optical windows and lenses, especially in environments that require high temperature resistance or chemical stability.
Laser technology: In some laser systems, sapphire is used as the outer shell material of the laser rod to protect the laser medium and provide an optical path.
Semiconductor industry: Sapphire substrates play an important role in the manufacturing of LEDs and other semiconductor devices, especially in the growth of gallium nitride (GaN) thin films.
In summary, sapphire has a wide range of applications in the fields of optics and industry due to its unique physical and optical properties. Its body can be seen in everyday consumer electronics products to high-end scientific research equipment