WE OFFER CHOICES-THORIUM COMPOUNDS & NON-RADIOACTIVE THORIUM FLUORIDE ALTERNATIVES
Thorium compounds are radioactive, flammable, heat-resistant elements with high melting points. For those reasons, manufacturing them requires considerable knowledge and experience in order to meet customers’ precise needs as well as comply with government hazardous materials regulations.
As an option for one of those radioactive compounds - thorium fluoride - Materion manufactures a number of specialty compositions as alternatives. Depending on your application, you may want to consider the advantages of such a replacement.
TECHNICAL APPLICATIONS USING THORIUM COMPOUNDS
Thorium, and particularly thorium fluoride, has a number of industrial or commercial uses where their high melting point and ability to enhance strength are advantages. Among these applications are:
- Anti-reflective coatings
- Catalysts
- Optical coatings
- Heat resistant crucibles
- Vacuum tubes – such as magnetron tubes found in microwave ovens
- Ceramics
AVAILABLE MATERION THORIUM COMPOUNDS & FORMS
Custom thin film PVD thorium compounds are available in a wide variety of sputtering target geometries and evaporation forms including pieces, granules, powders, pellets, slugs, and wire. Radioactive compositions available:
|
Thorium Fluoride ThF4 |
Thorium Nitrate Th(NO3)4-4H2O |
Thorium Oxide ThO2 |
Search our Online Inorganic Chemicals Catalog
WHY THE SWITCH TO NON-RADIOACTIVE THORIUM FLUORIDE?
The potential threat presented by radioactivity to health and environment is the reason thorium has been phased out of use for applications that do not explicitly require its presence. There are still no suitable alternatives for all thorium compounds, but the shift to safer replacements offers choices to concerned customers.
AVAILABLE ALTERNATIVE FLUORIDE COMPOUNDS
Materion manufactures the following specialty evaporation fluorides as replacements for those requiring non-radioactive thorium fluoride compositions for their application. All materials are typically available in 99.9% purity except for aluminum fluoride at 99.5%.
|
Item Number |
Item Name |
Formula |
Size |
|
A-1218 |
Aluminum Fluoride |
AlF3 |
3-6mm pcs |
|
B-1105 |
Barium Fluoride |
BaF2 |
3-6mm pcs |
|
H-1043 |
Hafnium Fluoride |
HfF4 |
3-6mm pcs |
|
L-1159 |
Lanthanum Fluoride |
LaF3 |
8-9 x 5-7mm tablets |
|
Y-1049 |
Yttrium Fluoride |
YF3 |
3-12mm pcs |
|
Y-1051 |
Ytterbium Fluoride |
YbF3 |
3-12mm pcs |
|
I-3000 |
CIROM-IRXTM |
IRX |
1-3mm pcs |
|
I-3005 |
IRB |
IRB |
1-3mm pcs |
MATERION COMPLIANT WITH HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGULATIONS
Government regulations require companies that deal with radioactive materials to comply with certain restrictions. Among the requirements is the need to obtain a specific license and expand radiation safety programs. Materion has addressed the requirements of the regulations and is fully compliant.
Read the Guidelines for complying with the 2013 regulations for “Guidance for Implementation of the Final Rule – Distribution of Source Material to Exempt Persons and to General Licensees (10CFR 30, 40, 70, 170 & 171).”
50+ YEARS OF INORGANIC CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING
Materion’s extensive history with inorganic chemicals production enables us to provide these capabilities:
- ISO certified labs: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 17025
- Hazardous materials handling
- Fully characterized materials with up to 99.999% purity levels
- Wet chemistry synthesis
- Adaption of materials to exact specifications
- Scaling of manufacturing quantities from R&D to full production levels
- Comprehensive chemical testing
- Development of new, experimental materials
Contact our chemical specialists to discuss the appropriate thorium compounds and thorium fluoride alternatives for your application, or call us at 800.327.1355.
Interested in pricing information? Use our Request a Quote form to provide the details on your Thorium Compound requirements.