What are crucibles, and what can Goodfellow offer?

Have you ever wondered… what are crucibles?

Crucibles are containers made from refractory metals or ceramics, able to withstand high degrees of heat. They are temperature resistant as well as chemically and physically stable at high temperature. This enables you to melt substances, usually metals, in a controlled manner.  

What are crucibles used for?

Crucibles have been used in metal working and casting for around 8000 years, and still find use in that sector today. Crucibles also play an important role in research labs finding uses in e-beam evaporation, crystal growth from melts, plus being used as reaction vessels for solid state synthesis.

Alongside the physical properties, crucible shape plays a key role in specific applications.

Which crucibles can Goodfellow offer currently?

Goodfellow are always looking to add to our innovative product range, and we are proud to introduce a new range of alumina and zirconia crucibles to our catalogue. This includes round and flat bottom boats, rectangular, tapered wall, and point-bottom shapes, as well as crucibles suitable for electron beam evaporation. Alongside these products, Goodfellow offers an extensive range of crucibles, and you can see the full range here.

Our alumina crucibles maximum working temperature is approximately 1750°c with good thermal shock properties and chemical resistance.

Our partially stabilised zirconia crucibles have a maximum working temperature of approximately 2250°c. These crucibles have improved thermal shock properties when compared to alumina, are chemically resistant, have higher fracture toughness, and have lower thermal conductivity.

Zirconia crucibles are readily machined and give a high quality surface finish and are a useful oxygen anion conductor for use in sensors and fuel cells. 
 
Zirconia-toughened alumina shows a considerable improvement in strength and more importantly toughness. As a result, these ceramics can be used in areas of extreme mechanical abrasion and thermal shock.
 
Alumina crucibles are compatible with:

• Alumina
• Zirconia
• Yttria & Magnesia
• Silicon Nitride*
• Aluminium Nitride*
• Boron Nitride*
• Silicon Carbide*
• Aluminium and Al-alloys*
• Copper and Cu-alloys*
• Iron and Fe-alloys*
• Nickel and Ni-alloys*
• Titanium and Ti-alloys*
• Tin and Sn-alloys
• Gold
• Stainless Steel

*Reactions possible at high temperatures

Alumina crucibles (Al2O3) are commonly used due to their versatility and low cost. Alumina has a high melting point is and relatively chemically inert.

Zirconia stabilised with Yttria crucibles compatible with:

• Metals
• Nickel/Cobalt based superalloys
• Precious metals (Palladium, Platinum Group Metals)
• Refractory materials (Silicon Carbide, Zirconium Carbide)
• High Silica materials