Gallium metal was first discovered in 1875 by the French scientist Bouabdran. In nature, gallium metal usually exists in trace amounts in bauxite, sphalerite and other ores. Gallium metal in the solid state presents a blue-gray color with a very complex internal structure, while in the liquid state, gallium metal presents a silvery white color. The application of gallium metal is also very wide, it is the raw material for the production of optical glass, vacuum tubes, semiconductors, the alloy of gallium metal is also widely used in the medical field, petrochemical and other fields.
Gallium metal in semiconductor materials.Gallium compounds are high-quality semiconductor materials, it is now widely used in the electronics industry and microwave communications industry, in integrated circuits, light-emitting diodes, infrared detector devices we can see the shadow of metal gallium, so metal gallium in semiconductor materials is very widely used.
Gallium metal is used in solar cells.Gallium metal was first discovered, because of the price of expensive, mainly used in the field of aerospace, and with the development of science and technology, gallium metal and gallium arsenide and other compounds to further reduce the cost of production, gallium metal is slowly being applied to the solar cell above, containing gallium arsenide solar cells have good heat resistance, radiation resistance, very good to enhance the characteristics of the solar cell, so the field of solar cell research and development of gallium metal, so the role of gallium metal is very wide. Battery research and development in the field of gallium metal demand is getting higher and higher.
Gallium metal is used in the chemical industry.In the chemical industry, gallium metal and compounds containing gallium metal are mainly used as catalysts, for example, in the chemical industry polymerization and dehydration process, gallium trichloride can better help them to complete this process. In the conversion of hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methanol, gallium metal can be present as a catalyst. And in the extraction of oil, many countries are also studying the use of gallium compounds as catalysts.
Gallium metal is used in the field of alloys.Gallium metal can react with other metals to form alloys, such as gallium and indium, thallium, tin, bismuth, zinc and other components of the alloy, can be used to measure and control the temperature. Gallium metal will also play an important role in fire extinguishing devices. Gallium compounds containing 25% indium act as low melting point alloys, melting automatically at 16°C.
Gallium's use in glassmaking.Gallium metal is widely utilized in glass making because it enhances the reflectivity of glass, which can reflect 70% of light away, while glass containing gallium metal can withstand higher temperatures.
Gallium metal is used in the medical field.Gallium metal has a wide range of roles, not only in the chemical industry and alloys, but also in the medical field. First of all, gallium-containing alloys can be used as materials for medical devices, for example, filling materials for teeth have gallium-containing alloys. Gallium is also found in medical diagnostics, where it can be used to diagnose lung and liver cancer, among other things.
Gallium metal has a wide range of applications, it can be used in solar cells, as a catalyst in the chemical industry, made into alloys, to enhance the reflective properties of glass, and in the medical field, where it can be used to make medical devices, but also for medical diagnostics. So in many fields we can see the shadow of gallium metal, and with the future development of science and technology, I believe that the application of gallium metal will become more and more widespread.