Magnesium Foil (Light Tight)

Magnesium Foil (Light Tight) is engineered for high-purity, light-blocking applications where both mechanical integrity and optical behavior are critical. This foil maintains opacity while preserving magnesium’s inherent properties—light weight, high specific strength, and processability. Magnesium is classified as a Drude metal, displaying strong reflectivity in the UV-visible spectrum, which makes this foil particularly effective for optically sensitive uses such as UV filters and X-ray targets. Studies using ellipsometry and reflectometry have shown that light-tight magnesium films require careful control of oxide layer thickness and surface microroughness to maintain performance over time. For structural applications like X-ray telescope reflectors, magnesium foil demonstrates superior formability and imaging fidelity when warm-worked around 150°C. The light-tight variant is specially suited for conditions requiring electromagnetic shielding and reduced optical transmission without compromising thermal and mechanical resilience.

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Properties

Reference & Citations

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Material Properties for Metals

Atomic Properties

Element	Value
Atomic number	12
Crystal structure	Hexagonal close packed
Electronic structure	Ne 3s²
Valences shown	2
Atomic weight( amu )	24.305
Thermal neutron absorption cross-section( Barns )	0.064
Photo-electric work function( eV )	3.66
Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% )	24/ 78.99
Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% )	26/ 11.01
Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% )	25/ 10.00
Atomic radius - Goldschmidt( nm )	0.16
Ionisation potential( No./eV )	2/ 15.03
Ionisation potential( No./eV )	6/ 187
Ionisation potential( No./eV )	4/ 109
Ionisation potential( No./eV )	5/ 141
Ionisation potential( No./eV )	1/ 7.65
Ionisation potential( No./eV )	3/ 80.1

Mechanical Properties

Element	Value
Material condition	Hard
Material condition	Soft
Poisson's ratio	0.291
Poisson's ratio	0.291
Bulk modulus( GPa )	35.6
Bulk modulus( GPa )	35.6
Tensile modulus( GPa )	44.7
Tensile modulus( GPa )	44.7
Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² )	35-45
Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² )	30-35
Tensile strength( MPa )	232
Tensile strength( MPa )	185
Yield strength( MPa )	69
Yield strength( MPa )	100

Electrical Properties

Element	Value
Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm )	4.2@20@20°C
Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ )	0.00425@0-100°C
Thermal emf against Pt (cold 0C - hot 100C)( mV )	0.44

Physical Properties

Element	Value
Boiling point( C )	1090
Density( gcm⁻³ )	1.74@20°C

Thermal Properties

Element	Value
Melting point( C )	649
Latent heat of evaporation( J g⁻¹ )	5254
Latent heat of fusion( J g⁻¹ )	362
Specific heat( J K⁻¹ kg⁻¹ )	1020@25°C
Thermal conductivity( W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ )	156@0-100°C
Coefficient of thermal expansion( x10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ )	26@0-100°C