Friday is here, and the "A Taste of Science for the Weekend" corner is back — number 84.
This time: the strange connection between a Japanese toilet manufacturer and the semiconductor industry, spacecraft, and next-generation batteries.
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Ceramics are any solid, non-organic, non-metallic materials.
The bonds between ceramic atoms are extremely strong and electrons are not free to flow between them, which gives ceramics their high hardness, electrical insulation, and thermal insulation properties.
In ancient times, ceramics appeared in the form of clay, shaped by hand and dried in a kiln to produce simple, fragile earthenware.
Later, China developed a method for producing porcelain by firing kaolin and feldspar at high temperatures — a luxury product that was highly sought after in Europe for many centuries.
In the modern era, ceramics are manufactured from powders of pure synthetic materials with no clay, enabling the creation of exceptionally beautiful and high-quality ceramics (see video).
Ceramics' resistance to heat and their high hardness make them ideal for use as insulating tiles on space shuttles, ceramic body armor, and induction cooktops.
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TOTO is a long-established Japanese company that manufactures high-end electronic toilets, which have become a cultural icon in the high-tech age.
The company's distinctive expertise lies in its precise control of the ceramic forming process — ceramics shrink by 20% during production and can crack if the process is not carefully engineered.
The company has leveraged this knowledge in an entirely different field: semiconductor manufacturing.
When billions of tiny transistors are etched onto silicon chips, the chips must be held firmly in place without any movement.
Securing the chips is a challenge because manufacturing takes place in a vacuum, making it impossible to use suction to hold them, while physical clamps can damage the chip or contaminate it with particulate matter.
TOTO developed an exceptionally smooth ceramic surface that uses the (relatively obscure) Johnsen–Rahbek effect to clamp chips to the surface via static electricity.
In TOTO's specialized surface, a minute quantity of conductive particles is embedded, causing the ceramic to conduct a small amount of electricity.
The charge concentrates on the surface, creating a strong electrostatic attraction between the ceramic and the chip, holding it firmly in place.
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As demand for chips driven by the artificial intelligence industry continues to grow, demand for the company's manufacturing surfaces is surging as well — and its stock is climbing sharply.
Ceramics will also play an important role as the electrolyte in solid-state batteries — ceramic-based batteries that will store far more energy, charge faster, and be safer to use.
3D printing of ceramics will make it possible to create complex ceramic-based structures such as custom medical implants or engine components, and the material's potential looks more promising than ever.
Shabbat Shalom 😊
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Video credit: NaLac Technique
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