Authoritative prediction: The market size of aerospace-grade high-purity
quartz sand will exceed $700 million by 2028 (Global Market Insights 2025
report)
1. Cutting-edge application scenarios and technical requirements
1. High-temperature resistant wave-transparent material (core of missile
radar cover)
- Performance requirements:
- Dielectric constant ≤ 3.8 (at 10GHz frequency band)
- Thermal shock resistance >1000℃→rapid change from room temperature
- Wave transmittance > 92% (Ka band)
- Quartz sand solution:
- Purity: SiO₂≥99.995% (total Al/Fe/K/Na content <20ppm)
- Crystal form: cristobalite content > 90% (thermal expansion coefficient
5.4 × 10⁻⁷/℃)
- Forming: Densification to 2.2g/cm³ via Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
2. Lightweight structural components (40% reduction in satellite frame
weight)
- Technical path:
- Quartz fiber reinforced composite material: tensile strength 4.8GPa,
density 1.9g/cm³
- 3D printed honeycomb structure: wall thickness 0.1mm, porosity 85%
- Core indicators:
- Specific stiffness ≥45GPa/(g/cm³)
- Vacuum outgassing rate <10⁻⁷ Torr·L/s
3. Semiconductor device substrate (radiation-resistant chip substrate)
- Disruptive advantage:
- Resistance to cosmic rays: 300 times stronger than silicon-based
materials
- Thermal management performance: thermal conductivity of 1.4W/(m·K) at
200℃
- Machining accuracy:
- Surface roughness Ra≤0.1nm
- Crystal orientation deviation < 0.5°
II. Four major directions for technological breakthroughs
1. Ultra-high purity purification process
- Plasma etching for impurity removal: Ar/O₂ plasma removes a 10nm impurity
layer from the surface
- Space microgravity crystallization: single crystals with an on-orbit growth
defect density of <10²/cm²
- Purity detection: The detection limit of GD-MS (glow discharge mass
spectrometry) reaches 0.1 ppb
2. Ultra-precision machining technology
- Ion beam shaping: surface accuracy λ/50 (@632.8nm)
- Atomic layer etching: material removal resolution of 0.1nm per layer
- Quantum-level measurement: laser interferometer positioning accuracy
±5pm
3. Multi-functional composite design
- Functionally Gradient Material (FGM):
- Surface layer: 99.999% quartz (resistant to atomic oxygen erosion)
- Transition layer: quartz-silicon carbide composite (thermal conductivity
enhancement)
- Base layer: quartz fiber/epoxy resin (shock absorption and energy
dissipation)
4. Adaptability to space environment
- Radiation-resistant coating: Boron nitride/quartz nanolaminate (reflects
99% of high-energy particles)
- Self-healing mechanism: microencapsulated siloxane (automatically releases
repair agent at cracks)
III. Industrialization Process and Challenges
1. Cost control bottleneck
- Aerospace-grade quartz sand (with a purity of 99.999%) costs $2800/kg
- Cost reduction path:
- Fluidized bed chlorination purification (energy consumption reduced by
60%)
- Microwave-assisted acid pickling (time reduced to 2 hours)
2. Absence of a standard system
- Urgent need to formulate:
- Test Method for Space Environment Resistance of Fused Silica Materials for
Aerospace Applications
- "Specification for Microgravity Assembly of Quartz Components on
Satellite"
3. Supply chain security
- The localization rate of key equipment is less than 30% (such as plasma CVD
equipment)
- Breakthrough focus:
- Highly stable microwave plasma source (power fluctuation <0.1%)
- Ultra-clean crushing system (metal contamination < 0.01 ppm)
IV. Business Prospect Forecast
1. Market size segmentation (2030)
- Satellite structural components: $210 million (CAGR 28%)
- Rocket engine nozzle: $170 million (CAGR 35%)
- Space station porthole: $90 million (CAGR 22%)
2. Technological iteration route
- 2025: Sub-nanometer surface processing (applicable to infrared detector
windows)
- 2028: In-orbit additive manufacturing (on-site printing of parts on the
space station)
- 2032: Quantum dot-doped quartz (self-luminescent navigation device)
V. Practical Cases of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation
Project: Nose cone of a hypersonic vehicle
Technical solution:
1. Raw material: 99.998% quartz sand from the East China Sea
2. Process:
- Plasma rotary electrode powder production (particle size 15-45μm)
- Hot isostatic pressing (1200℃/150MPa)
- BN/SiC composite coating (thickness 200μm)
Performance:
- Mach 10 wind tunnel test: ablation resistance time increased by 8 times
- Wave-transmitting performance: attenuation <0.1dB in the 35GHz frequency
band
- Weight reduction benefit: 35% weight reduction compared to traditional
ceramics
conclusion
Quartz plate materials are transitioning from being "single-function
materials" to "intelligent structural-functional integration". By seizing the
three breakthroughs of ultra-purification, extreme manufacturing, and space
adaptation, Chinese enterprises are expected to capture 30% of the high-end
aerospace market share by 2030.