China pulls ahead in hi-tech race with graphite purity ‘close to theoretical limit’
High-purity graphite is widely used in critical sectors such as nuclear energy, semiconductors and aerospace
The feat is expected to consolidate China’s global leadership in producing the strategic material seen as a vital weapon in the country’s hi-tech war with the West.
Science and Technology Daily reported on Tuesday that China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) had developed its own horizontal purification equipment for low-cost, high-purity graphite production on an industrial scale.
High-purity graphite, with carbon content exceeding 99.99 per cent, is known for its excellent self-lubrication, electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, high-temperature stability and outstanding chemical stability.
It is widely used in sectors such as nuclear energy, semiconductors and aerospace.
“Our newly developed equipment has successfully refined graphite powder from purity of 99.93 per cent to over 99.99995 per cent,” CETC general manager Xie Yongqiang said in the report.
“This purity is close to the theoretical limit, with impurities reduced to virtually negligible levels.”
