What is Nanocrystalline? Differences Between Nanocrystalline Cores and Ferrite Cores

2024.10.8 Articles GOTREND Technology Co., Ltd.

What is Nanocrystalline? Differences Between Nanocrystalline Cores and Ferrite Cores

 

 



1. What is Amorphous Metal ?

 

The two main types of amorphous metals that can be seen in everyday life are: crystalline and amorphous materials. In crystalline materials, the internal arrangement of atoms follows a certain regular pattern, whereas in amorphous materials, the arrangement of atoms appears in an irregular state.


crystalline & amorphous materials



Amorphous metals are unique materials with atoms arranged in a disordered manner. In contrast, most metallic materials have highly ordered crystalline structures, where atoms are arranged periodically to form parallel symmetries or rotational symmetries (as in crystals) as well as mirror symmetries and angular symmetries (as in quasicrystals). In contrast to this orderliness, amorphous metals lack a distinct ordered structure over long distances, although there may be some degree of order at intermediate and short-distance scales.

 

crystalline & amorphous materials



Scientists have discovered that after melting, the atoms in metal become highly active. However, as the metal begins to cool, the atoms gradually arrange themselves in an ordered manner according to certain crystalline rules as the temperature drops, forming a crystalline structure. If the cooling rate is fast, the atoms do not have time to rearrange themselves and become fixed in place, resulting in an amorphous alloy. The preparation of amorphous alloys utilizes a process known as rapid solidification, where the high-temperature liquid is sprayed onto rapidly rotating cooling rollers. The alloy liquid cools rapidly at a rate of millions of degrees per second, taking only a one-thousandth of a second to cool the alloy liquid from 1300°C to room temperature, forming an amorphous ribbon.


Compared to crystalline alloys, amorphous alloys undergo significant changes in physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. They feature high saturation magnetic induction and low loss. These characteristics make amorphous alloy materials widely applicable in fields such as electronics, aviation, machinery, and microelectronics. In aviation, they reduce the weight of power sources and equipment, increasing effective payload. In civilian power and electronic equipment, they significantly reduce the volume of power sources, enhance efficiency, and improve interference resistance.





 

2. What is Nanocrystalline?

Nanocrystalline refers to materials with grain sizes ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers. Grains are tiny regions within a material composed of atoms or molecules arranged in a specific pattern, forming a crystalline structure.
 

Nanocrystalline

 

Nanocrystalline falls into the category of non-crystalline alloys, also known as metallic glass or liquid metal. Non-crystalline alloy technology is a key area of modern materials science, involving the rapid cooling and solidification of alloy melts, preventing atoms from orderly crystalline arrangement, resulting in a solid alloy with a long-range disordered structure. 

The arrangement of molecules (or atoms, ions) in such materials lacks regular periodicity, unlike crystalline alloys with grains and grain boundaries. 
Non-crystalline alloys are a focus of modern materials science research and development. The production of non-crystalline ribbon materials through rapid cooling from molten metals represents a revolution in metallurgy history. As a new type of soft magnetic material, non-crystalline alloys have been widely used in high-performance magnetic cores.





 

3.Differences Between Nanocrystalline Cores and Traditional Ferrite Cores


Nanocrystalline cores exhibit several significant advantages over traditional ferrite cores, particularly in high-frequency applications. These advantages stem from the unique properties of nanocrystalline materials, making them ideal for various electronic and power applications. 


Nanocrystalline cores have extremely high permeability and a wide frequency characteristic, making them well-suited for EMC filters. Additionally, their Curie temperature exceeds 530°C, which is substantially higher than the below 200°C range typical of traditional ferrite cores, providing excellent thermal stability. 


In common mode choke applications, nanocrystalline cores are more effective at suppressing common mode noise. Compared to traditional soft magnetic materials like ferrite cores, nanocrystalline cores offer higher inductance, smaller size, and require fewer turns of copper wire.


Nanocrystalline cores exhibit outstanding performance across a range of applications, gaining significant attention for their unique characteristics. This special material structure exhibits significant superior properties in a wide range of applications, especially in high-frequency applications.


One major advantage of nanocrystalline cores is their high saturation magnetic induction (Bs). Nanocrystalline cores have a Bs of up to 1.2T, which is more than double that of traditional ferrite cores. This is crucial for manufacturing common mode chokes, as core saturation leads to a sharp decrease in inductance. Nanocrystalline alloys, with their high Bs, show superior performance in resisting high currents and strong interference environments.


Nanocrystalline cores also feature a high initial permeability, reaching over 100,000 (at 10 kHz), significantly surpassing ferrite cores. This allows common mode chokes made from nanocrystalline alloys to have higher impedance and lower insertion loss at low magnetic fields, effectively suppressing weak interference. 
Additionally, the high permeability enables common mode chokes to achieve higher inductance and impedance values within the same volume or to maintain the same performance with a smaller size.


Additionally, nanocrystalline alloys exhibit superior temperature stability. With a Curie temperature exceeding 530°C, they maintain significantly lower performance variation compared to traditional ferrites. This allows nanocrystalline alloys to retain stable performance across various temperature conditions, particularly excelling in high-temperature or high-load scenarios.


Moreover, nanocrystalline cores offer flexible frequency characteristics. Through different manufacturing processes, the frequency characteristics of nanocrystalline cores can be adjusted to suit various coil turns and application requirements. This flexibility ensures that nanocrystalline cores deliver exceptional performance across a wide range of frequencies.


With their high saturation magnetic induction, high permeability, excellent temperature stability, and adaptable frequency characteristics, nanocrystalline cores are an outstanding choice for numerous applications. They bring enhanced interference suppression, improved magnetic performance, and expanded application possibilities to the electronics and power sectors. Compared to traditional ferrite cores, nanocrystalline cores display a range of impressive advantages in high-frequency applications.

 

 







 



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