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Rhenium Foil/Sheet
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
| Thickness | Size |
|---|---|
| 0.0125 mm (foil) to 2 mm (sheet) | 10 x 10 mm to 100 x 100 mm |
Need custom configurations? Please contact us.
Key Features
Rhenium Foil is a refractory metal foil combining the second-highest melting point of any element at 3186 °C, exceptional ductility among refractory metals, high density of 21.0 g/cm³, and outstanding resistance to thermal fatigue:
Second-Highest Melting Point of Any Element
Melting point of 3186 °C is exceeded only by tungsten, qualifying rhenium foil for electrical contacts, heating elements, and structural components in ultra-high-temperature vacuum furnace applications where tungsten’s brittleness in foil form and susceptibility to oxidation would be prohibitive.
Exceptional Ductility Among Refractory Metals
Unlike tungsten and molybdenum, rhenium maintains good ductility in the foil condition and after high-temperature annealing, allowing fine cutting, shaping, and forming into mass spectrometer grids, X-ray tube components, and furnace heating element geometries that would fracture in tungsten foil.
Outstanding Resistance to Thermal Fatigue
Rhenium exhibits outstanding resistance to thermal fatigue and deformation under repeated heating and cooling cycles, qualifying it for use in heating elements, spark ignition contacts, and thermally cycled structural components where dimensional stability and fatigue resistance under thermal cycling are critical service requirements.
Excellent Catalytic Activity in Chemical Reforming
Rhenium is an effective catalyst for petroleum reforming reactions, and rhenium foil provides a defined geometry catalyst substrate for fundamental studies of reforming surface reactions and development of rhenium-based catalytic systems in chemical processing research.
High Density
Density of 21.0 g/cm³ supports use in counterweight, balance, and radiation shielding applications where maximum mass per unit volume and corrosion resistance are simultaneously required in a machinable, formable sheet metal format.
Industrial Applications
Rhenium Foil is used across mass spectrometry, X-ray equipment, vacuum furnace engineering, and catalysis wherever the unique combination of second-highest melting point, exceptional ductility among refractory metals, and thermal fatigue resistance determine material selection:
- ✦ Grids in Mass Spectrometers and Ion Beam Equipment
- Used for grid elements in mass spectrometers and ion beam equipment, where rhenium’s high melting point, chemical stability under ion bombardment, and ductility allowing precision grid fabrication by cutting and forming qualify it for electrode elements that must withstand high temperatures and energetic ion exposure.
- ✦ X-Ray Equipment Components
- Applied as X-ray tube anode and grid components, where rhenium’s high melting point, resistance to thermal fatigue under repeated electron beam heating cycles, and stability under the vacuum and thermal conditions of X-ray tube operation support extended service life relative to tungsten alternatives.
- ✦ Heating Elements and Furnace Components in Ultra-High-Temperature Vacuum Systems
- Used as heating elements and furnace components in ultra-high-temperature vacuum furnace systems, where the combination of second-highest melting point, ductility in the fabricated condition, and resistance to thermal fatigue provides heating element service life and formability that tungsten foil cannot match.
- ✦ Catalysts in Chemical Reforming Applications
- Applied as catalysts and catalyst substrate material in petroleum reforming and chemical processing applications, where rhenium’s catalytic activity in dehydrogenation and cyclisation reactions and resistance to catalyst deactivation support its use in reforming catalyst systems and surface reaction studies.
- ✦ Refractory Metal Performance, Thin-Film Deposition and High-Temperature Oxidation Research
- Used in research into refractory metal mechanical and thermal performance at ultra-high temperatures, thin-film rhenium deposition parameter optimization, and high-temperature oxidation resistance characterization for development of rhenium-based coatings and alloys for advanced aerospace and energy system applications.
Material Properties
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 75 |
| Crystal structure | Hexagonal close packed |
| Electronic structure | Xe 4f¹⁴ 5d⁵ 6s² |
| Valences shown | -1,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 |
| Atomic weight( amu ) | 186.207 |
| Thermal neutron absorption cross-section( Barns ) | 85 |
| Photo-electric work function( eV ) | 5 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 187/ 62.6 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 185/ 37.4 |
| Atomic radius - Goldschmidt( nm ) | 0.138 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 1/ 7.87 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 2/ 16.6 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Material condition | Soft |
| Material condition | Hard |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.26 |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.26 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 334 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 334 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 466 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 466 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 280 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 700 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 2225 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 1125 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 315 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 2150 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm ) | 18.7@20°C |
| Superconductivity critical temperature( K ) | 1.7 |
| Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ ) | 0.0045@0-100°C |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Boiling point( C ) | 5627 |
| Density( gcm⁻³ ) | 21@20 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Melting point( C ) | 3180 |
| Latent heat of evaporation( J g⁻¹ ) | 3824 |
| Latent heat of fusion( J g⁻¹ ) | 179.9 |
| Specific heat( J K⁻¹ kg⁻¹ ) | 138@25 |
| Thermal conductivity( W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ ) | 48@0-100°C |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion( x10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ ) | 6.6@0-100°C |
Tolerances
| Thickness | <0.01mm | ±25% |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.01mm - 0.05mm | ±15% |
| Thickness | >0.05mm | ±10% |
| Linear dimension | <100mm | ±1mm |
| Linear dimension | >=100mm | +2 / -1% |