Quartz fiber is a fiber created from high-purity quartz crystals.[1][2] It is made by first softening quartz rods (in an oxyhydrogen flame)[3] and then creating filaments from the rods.[4] Since the creation of high-purity quartz crystals is an energy intensive process, quartz fiber is more expensive than alternatives (glass fiber and high-silica fiber) and has limited applications.[3]
Quartz fiber is made from heating quartz rods with an oxyhydrogen flame. Then, filaments are drawn out of the quartz rod, creating quartz fibers.[5] For optical fibers, germanium and phosphorus can be added to increase the refractive index.[6][7]
A single quartz fiber can have a tensile strength of 800 kilopounds per square inch (5,500 MPa). Quartz fibers are chemically stable as they are not affected by halogens (for the most part). Quartz fibers also have a higher thermal resistance than S-glassorE-glass.[8]
Since quartz fiber is expensive, it has limited applications.[2] It is used mainly for producing composite materials (due to having higher stability compared to glass fiber) and in electrical applications where thermal resistance and dielectric properties are important.[9] It can be used in filtration applications where alternatives such as glass fiber filters cannot be used.[3][10] Quartz fiber can also be used for physical devices (such as in quartz fiber dosimeters and quartz fiber electrometers).[11]
Quartz fibers can be used in fiber optics. This is due to a quartz fiber having the ability to transport data at a speed of 1 terabit per second,[12][13] and having a transmission loss of 1 decibel per kilometer.[14]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
