What is a foil?
In its simplest form, a foil is a very thin sheet of metal. However, the foils we're referring to are not the kind you can bulk buy at Costco. Foils are a popular choice within scientific industry and R&D due to their lightweight nature, ease of manipulation (e.g. cutting, shaping), and ability to fit well with other components (such as within a battery).
Foils for R&D are available in both pure elements and alloys – meaning that there are hundreds of material options to choose from. To some, this may seem overwhelming, but it can make all the difference for those with niche requirements.
Popular foil choices for scientific research and innovation include:
• Indium Foil
• Lead Foil
• Lithium Foil
• Platinum Foil
• Tungsten Foil
Foil Thickness and Diameter
Scientific foils are commonly sold in thicknesses between 0.001mm – 6mm and diameters between 10mm – 300mm. But why have such a huge range of sizes? That’s simple - required foil size can vary drastically depending on the foil’s intended purpose. For example, scientists using foils within x-ray shields would likely opt for thicker (>0.3mm) pieces than scientists using thin foils (<0.05mm) for soldering electronics. Our extensive foils offering provides thick, thin, large, and small foils for a plethora of applications. Plus – we can further modify foils if a custom dimension is needed.
Foil Modifications
Scientific foils are often modified to suit the intricacies of an application. Examples include cutting, shaping, and further rolling. Our in-house manufacturing team are skilled in various foil manipulation processes to suit your bespoke requirements. Need assistance with modifying foils for R&D? Get in touch today.
Foil Tempering
Tempering alters the behaviour and performance of a scientific foil to make it more desirable for its intended application. Below we explore three tempering types offered within our foils range: Annealed, As Rolled, and Hard.
Annealed Foils
The softest foil temper available from Goodfellow, annealed foils are first heated above recrystallisation temperature. They are then maintained at a suitable temperature for a set amount of time, before being slowly cooled.
As Rolled Foils
As Rolled is the middle range temper between annealed and hard. As the foil is rolled, stresses are added to the material. This results in foils for R&D that possess increased hardness and mechanical properties.
Hard Foils
Perhaps unsurprisingly, hard is the hardest form of a scientific foil, In this state, the internal stresses are at a maximum.
