Beryllium Oxide

Alternate Names: Beryllia, glucina, glucinium oxide

Oxide	Analysis	Formula
BeO	100.00%	1.00
Oxide Weight		25.01
Formula Weight		25.01

Notes

Beryllium is a specialty high temperature fluxing oxide available as a pure material in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. It acts as a refractory alone. It can also be used as a modifier and opacifier at lower temperatures. It is manufactured from Beryl, an igneous mineral silicate of beryllium and aluminum containing about 12-14% beryllium. Emerald is beryl stained with chromium, aquamarine is blue stained beryl.

It is a very expensive material and thus is only used if another cannot be substituted.

Beryllia is valuable for producing ceramics with high thermal conductivity (dependent on purity), particularly in the lower temperature ranges. Its thermal conductivity is 4x alumina at high temperatures and even greater at lower temperatures. Beryllium has excellent dielectric properties, outstanding resistance to wetting and corrosion by many metals and non-metals. It's mechanical properties are only slightly less than that of 95% alumina ceramics. It has valuable nuclear properties including an exceptionally low thermal neutron absorption cross section. Like alumina, it is readily metallized by thick and thin film techniques.

Properties:
Softening Temperature: >2000
Thermal Conductivity (Btu/h/sq. ft/degree F/ft): 150
CTE, 10 -6/degree F, at..
212F: 5.4
932F: 7.4
1832F: 8.9
Tensile Strength, psi (room temperature): 18,000-20,000
(1000C): 5000
Compressive Strength, (room temperature): 200,000
(2000F): 60,000
Transverse Strength, psi: 35,000
Modulus of Elasticity, psi: 40,000-45,000

Related Information

Links

Hazards	Beryllium Monoxide Toxicology
Typecodes	Flux Source Materials that source Na2O, K2O, Li2O, CaO, MgO and other fluxes but are not feldspars or frits. Remember that materials can be flux sources but also perform many other roles. For example, talc is a flux in high temperature glazes, but a matting agent in low temperatures ones. It can also be a flux, a filler and an expansion increaser in bodies.
Typecodes	Opacifier Opacifiers are powders that turn transparent glazes opaque by various chemical and physical mechanisms (and combinations of mechanisms).
Typecodes	Refractory Materials that melt at high temperatures. These are normally used for kiln bricks, furniture, etc. or for ceramics that must withstand high temperatures during service.
URLs	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryllium_oxide Beryllium oxide on Wikipedia
Oxides	BeO - Beryllium Oxide
Minerals	Beryl A beryllium mineral.

Data

Frit Softening Point	2500C
Frit Softening Point	2650C
Density (Specific Gravity)	3.00

By Tony Hansen
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