0.04%, an unimaginably small number, has achieved the gorgeous transformation of copper from scrap copper to the country's heavy weapon. However, what kind of technological gap does this 0.04% gap represent?
High-purity copper is the purest form of copper materials, with a purity of up to 99.99999%. It is not only an improvement in purity numbers, but also represents a leap in material properties and the expansion of application fields.
From microelectronic chips to spacecraft components, high-purity copper is found almost everywhere. Its excellent electrical conductivity and ductility make it the darling of the electrical and electronic industry.
The 6N ultra-pure monocrystalline copper wire, which is only a quarter the diameter of a human hair and weighs 8 grams but can extend up to 1,500 meters, is used to manufacture high-quality wire with high fidelity for signal transmission.
Ultra-pure copper has a very low impurity content, a 3-5% reduction in resistance, close to the silver level, and a ductility similar to gold, so it is widely used in aerospace, shipbuilding and other fields.
However, the reason why high-purity copper is so valuable is precisely because it is difficult to obtain. From ore to ultra-pure copper, it has to go through a series of complicated processes such as beneficiation, smelting, and electrolysis.
Vacuum melting is the key to producing high-quality oxygen-free copper, which can reduce the oxygen content to less than 0.0005% and the hydrogen content to less than 0.0003%. However, to achieve such an extreme vacuum level, strict requirements are put forward for equipment and processes, which are costly and consume a lot of energy.
The significance of high-purity copper lies not only in its excellent performance, but also in its reflection of a country's industrial strength. Developed countries such as the United States and Germany have achieved stable production of 6N high-purity copper as early as the 80s of the 20th century.
However, the mainland started late in this field, and it was not until 2009 that it broke the foreign monopoly and realized the localization of ultra-pure copper in Yunnan Copper.
This seemingly small breakthrough actually crosses a gap in materials science. It not only frees the mainland from being controlled by others in the field of high-end copper materials, but also gives wings to the take-off of strategic emerging industries such as electronic information and aerospace.
At present, with the vigorous development of emerging fields such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and new energy, the demand for high-purity copper is rising. It is foreseeable that high-purity copper will play an increasingly important role in the future of mainland industry.
From scrap copper and rotten iron to the leap of the country's heavy equipment, the extraordinary journey of high-purity copper vividly interprets the major role of scientific and technological progress in promoting industrial development. It allows us to see that a seemingly small technological breakthrough often contains huge energy behind it to change the industrial landscape.
It is the tireless efforts of generations of scientific and technological workers that have allowed us to have today's industrial glory.
In the historical position of the new era, self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology have become the strategic support for national development. Facing the future, we must further break through the "bottleneck" problem in the field of materials, and realize the independent and controllable key materials and core components in more fields.
Let us go hand in hand, lead the road of industry with the light of science and technology, cast the foundation of rejuvenation with the power of innovation, and jointly write a brilliant chapter of industrial take-off in the new era!