Electrolytic Chromium Flakes
Since 1964, JSC POLEMA has been at the front line of electrolytic refined chromium production.
Developed as an advanced method by Robert Bunsen in 1854, today the electrolytic method encompasses industrial-scale production of high-purity chromium. POLEMA's unique method of refining electrolytic chromium allows to remove oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and hydrogen from the “raw” material.
The product of electrolysis, primary chromium (ECr), is dark grey-coloured flakes of scaly shape, with thickness up to 2.5 mm. ECr contains 0.5 - 0.55% of oxygen. If processed in hydrogen under high temperatures, these ECr flakes are reduced into refined chromium (ERCr) shaped mainly as light gray-coloured shiny flakes (scales) with extremely low content of interstitial impurities (C, O, N, S, H).
Chromium flakes are also widely used for other applications, like in electronics for vacuum evaporation and deposition of thin films in electron beam heating systems.
Electrolytic refined chromium flakes can be used for heat treatment in a pure nitrogen atmosphere to produce chromium nitride Cr2N or other nitrogenated products that can be further on involved into alloying special steels and alloys.
Powders and granules of various chemical compositions and grain sizes are mechanically ground from electrolytic refined chromium flakes. Pure electrolytic refined chromium powder is intended for target production.
Electrolytic refined chromium: ERCr-0, ERCr-1.
You can contact our sales managers for more details at:
export_polema@metholding.com,
tel.: +7(4872)25-06-76.
| Name | Base |
Impurities, ppm, max |
|||||||||
| O | N | C | S | Fe | Si | Ni | Al | Cu | Pb | ||
| ECr | Cr | 5500 | 130 | 100 | 200 | 80 | 100 | 50 | 60 | 30 | 10 |
Chemical composition of electrolytic refined chromium:
| Name |
Cr, %, min |
Impurities, ppm, max | ||||||||
| O | N | C | S | Fe | Si | Ni | Al | Cu | ||
| ERCr- 0 |
99,99* |
50 | 50 | 80 | 20 | ∑ Ni, Mo, W, Al, Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Si, Ti, V, K, Li, Na, etc. 100 max | ||||
| ERCr- 1 | 99,95 | 50 | 50 | 80 | 20 | 80 | 100 | 50 | 60 | 30 |
* Gas-forming impurities C, O, N, S, Н, F, Cl not included.
Applications vary from metallurgy of heat–resistant superalloys, electrical engineering in compositions with copper, and deposition of thin films and functional coatings using PVD methods, to production of electronic components, large-format displays, tools, watch cases, household appliances, tinted glasses, car parts and accessories, machines and appliances, as well as others.
In thin-film deposition in vacuum by means of thermal evaporation electrolytic refined chromium is used in flake or granule form, by means of ion bombardment spraying or arc evaporation – in the form of various compacted products. For target production by powder metallurgy (PM) methods chromium ERCr in flake form is mechanically ground into MP-ERCr powder.