A domestic research team recently announced the successful development of BFe30-1-1E, a new type of white copper. This material is based on traditional B30 white copper (copper nickel alloy) and achieves a breakthrough improvement in seawater corrosion resistance by adding 0.8% -1.2% rare earth elements and optimizing the hot rolling process. Experimental data shows that its annual corrosion rate under simulated deep-sea high-pressure environment (50MPa, Cl ⁻ concentration 3.5%) decreases to 0.002mm, which is more than 60% lower than traditional B30 alloy. This material has been validated through the condenser tubes of the polar research vessel "Xuelong 3" and is planned to be mass-produced in the second half of 2025.
Industry application highlights
Ocean engineering: A certain shipping company uses B10 white copper (CuNi10) to manufacture the sealing ring of the liquid cargo tank valve of LNG transport ships, which maintains a tensile strength of 450MPa even under ultra-low temperature conditions of -163 ℃, solving the problem of low-temperature brittleness of traditional materials.
In the field of new energy, the latest developed BFe5-1 white copper current collector is applied to sodium ion batteries, with conductivity increased to 98% IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard) and battery energy density increased by 12%.
Electronic Manufacturing
Huawei 6G base stations use B0.6 ultra-low nickel white copper (nickel content ≤ 0.8%) RF connectors, reducing signal transmission loss to 0.15dB and power consumption by 20%.
A semiconductor company in Suzhou has developed a white copper etching process, which has increased the wafer level packaging yield to 99.97%.
Technological breakthrough direction
Extreme environmental adaptability: The Institute of Metals, Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed BAl20 white copper containing 2% aluminum, which increases its oxidation resistance by three times at high temperatures of 500 ℃. It has been used in the manufacturing of fuel nozzles for aircraft engines.
Green manufacturing process: A Shanghai enterprise pioneered the full component recovery technology for white copper electrolysis waste liquid, with a nickel recovery rate of 99.5% and a production cost reduction of 18%.
Intelligent processing: Guangdong Jinggong Enterprise has launched a white copper laser selective melting (SLM) 3D printing equipment, which can form complex flow channel structures and improve processing efficiency by 70% compared to traditional casting.
Future Trends and Prospects
White copper materials are rapidly evolving towards three directions: high-performance (corrosion resistance/conductivity/strength synergistic improvement), environmentally friendly (low nickel/nickel free substitution), and digital manufacturing (AI process optimization). According to industry predictions, the global market size for white copper is expected to exceed 8 billion US dollars by 2025, with demand from the new energy and marine economy sectors accounting for over 45%.
