The price of flake graphite rises in winter

Flake graphite is natural crystal graphite, its shape is like fish phosphorus, is a hexagonal crystal system, is a layered structure, has good high-temperature resistance, electricity, heat conduction, lubrication, plastic and acid, and alkali resistance properties.

Flake graphite crystal integrity, thin and good toughness, excellent physical and chemical properties, with good thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, thermal shock resistance, corrosion resistance, etc.

Flake graphite is widely used in refractory and coating for the gold industry. Such as magnesia carbon brick, the crucible, and so on. Military industry pyrotechnics material stabilizer, smelting industry desulfurization accelerating agent, light industry pencil lead, electrical industry carbon brush, battery industry electrode, fertilizer industry catalyst, etc. Flake graphite after deep processing, and can produce graphite emulsion, used in lubricants, mold release agent, wire drawing agent, conductive coating, etc. Also can produce expanded graphite, used in flexible graphite products, raw materials, such as flexible graphite seals and flexible graphite composite products.

As a functional filler of coatings, flake graphite is mainly used in anti-corrosive coatings, fireproof coatings, and conductive coatings.

As anti-corrosion materials, it and carbon black, talc, and oil made of anti-rust primer, with good chemical and solvent corrosion resistance; If zinc yellow and other chemical pigments are added to the formula, its rust prevention effect is better.

Used as a fireproof filler is expandable graphite, which is a kind of graphite interlayer compound obtained by chemical or electrochemical treatment with natural graphite flake as raw material. Under the condition of heat, the volume of expandable graphite expands rapidly (up to 300 times) suffocating the flame, and at the same time, the expansion material is generated to isolate the flame, delay or interrupt the flame spread, and it is non-combustible, good softness, high surface energy, and good strength of the carbonized layer. However, the volume and dosage of the expansion body should be selected appropriately. The results show that the particle size of 150um, the expansion ratio of 30%, and the dosage of 5% are the most suitable.

Flake graphite can be directly used as carbon conductive filler or composite conductive filler for conductive coatings. However, due to a large amount of graphite flake, the coating will become brittle and its application is limited. Therefore, measures were taken to further improve the conductivity of graphite and effectively reduce the amount of graphite flake addition. Domestic Tianhua Chemical Machinery Research Institute developed a high-temperature corrosion-resistant resin as the base material, with strong electrostatic conductivity of large flake solid graphite flake as the main aggregate, with high body strength and good wear resistance.

It is a solvent-free thick film conductive coating with good deformation-cracking resistance and functional filler. The coating has the characteristics of anti-corrosive medium penetration, low curing residual stress, good resistance to matrix deformation cracking, stable construction performance, and long-term conductive static electricity. It can be used for conducting electrostatic coating on the inner wall of the crude oil storage tank. According to reports, the use of electroless plating technology to apply gold plating to graphite powder, such as copper, nickel, silver, and other preparation of composite conductive filler, 30% of the amount used in conductive coating, not only its conductivity is very good, and corrosion resistance is further improved.

Flake graphite is a natural solid lubricant with a layered structure, which is abundant and cheap. But as winter approaches and temperatures drop, it becomes more difficult for workers to mine flake graphite, and the price of flake graphite increases with the onset of winter

By the beginning of September, the price of jixi natural flake graphite has not fluctuated much, among which the quotation of -194 flake graphite still remains at about 2900 yuan/ton, and the manufacturer’s inventory is still ok.

September 25, Heilongjiang province flake graphite enterprises suffered the impact of power rationing, enterprise capacity decreased. Accordingly, Jixi Graphite Association convened a graphite meeting on September 27, and the meeting decided to raise the overall price of flake graphite by 500 yuan/ton.

The power limit impact can be said to be in the middle of the key because the flake graphite is about to enter the winter stocking stage, most of the enterprises have not started stocking, the sudden power limit makes everyone unprepared, the tense atmosphere of the market is suddenly full.

With the decline of temperature, most graphite manufacturers in northeast China are about to enter the winter rest period one after another, and the annual winter stocking of flake graphite will also come, so enterprises are generally in full swing to produce products needed for winter stocking.

The current market demand has increased slightly, and it is expected that the graphite market demand will increase significantly from late September. According to flake graphite manufacturers, the price of natural flake graphite may increase by 100-200 yuan this winter.