What Is the Most Refractory Material in the World?

When asked about the material with the highest melting point in the world, many people would say "Tungsten." But I want to tell you that this answer is only half right. As we all know, tungsten is a pure metal with the highest melting point in the world, but the most refractory material in the world is not tungsten. Then what is the most refractory material in the world?

Refractory material

Russian researchers have synthesized a powder mixture by pulsed flame sintering under extreme conditions. The material, which consists mainly of hafnium carbide and nitride, has a melting point of 4126.85. The hafnium carbides and nitrides have by far the highest melting points in the world.

Such high-temperature-resistant materials will be mainly used in the defense and military industry, aerospace, electronic information, energy, chemical defense, metallurgy and nuclear industry, and other cutting-edge fields, with a good application prospect. Currently, the researchers are studying the synthesis of the material and the process of solid phase transition, which is expected to be used shortly.

The world's most refractory material is in the research, and now let's focus on the one that is used in life. Among all pure metals, tungsten has a maximum melting point of 3417±10℃. It is a steel-gray or silver-white metal with very strong physical characteristics. It not only has the highest melting point among all non-alloy metals, but also has high density, good high-temperature strength, and corrosion resistance.

Because of its excellent special properties, tungsten is widely used in mining, metallurgy, machinery, construction, transportation, electronics, chemical industry, light industry, textile, military industry, aerospace, science and technology, and other fields.

Tungsten was used in electrical and electronic equipment. It was first and most commonly used as the tungsten filament in light bulbs, as well as in X-ray tubes and superalloys. Tungsten rod is used as thermal conductors, welding electrodes, headpieces for the industries of quartz, stirring bars for smelting, heavy hammers, fasteners, etc. Tungsten crucibles have been widely used in technologies for growing single crystals from molten corundum, as well as in electronics and technologies for thermal vaporization – deposition of various substances. Tungsten counterweight parts help to reduce the loads that parts are exposed to and consequently increase their service life.

Tungsten-alloy-counter-weight-parts

Tungsten is an important strategic metal and basic material for the military industry. The most prominent application of tungsten is in a variety of high-speed munitions, such as bullets, armor-piercing bullets, warheads, grenades, and artillery and tank guns. The high density of tungsten increases the penetrability and power of the missile, and it is not radioactive, so it is the ideal armor-piercing material.

Conclusion 

Thank you for reading our article and we hope it can help you to have a better understanding of the most refractory material in the world. If you want to know more about refractory materials, we advise you to visit Advanced Refractory Metals (ARM) for more information.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, California, USA, Advanced Refractory Metals (ARM) is a leading supplier of refractory metals across the world, providing customers with high-quality refractory metal products such as tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, rhenium, titanium, and zirconium at a very competitive price. Please visit https://www.refractorymetal.org for more information.