Description
Zirconium (Zr) is a silver metal with a density of 6.52 g/cm3. Zr has a very small neutron adsorption cross-section and relatively high melting point (1855 °C or 3371 °F), making zirconium a great material for nuclear power rods. Zirconium sponge and crystal bars are the raw materials to make sputtering targets. Although Zr sponge is cheap and has low purity, it contains a high oxygen content. Zirconium crystal bars have a higher cost and purity, making them ideal materials for sputtering targets.
Both Zr and Hf can be applied in nuclear industries. However, they have different properties in neutron capture. Although they have a lot similar properties, they need to be separated using the liquid extraction method or distillation of molten salt. We provide two grades of high purity zirconium targets: low hafnium (250ppm, or 0.025%) and high hafnium.