Indium
Last updated
Last updated
It's the year 1863. The telephone has not yet been invented when two German chemists, Ferdinand Reich and Theodor Richter, made a discovery in the small town of Freiberg that would be integral to many technological revolutions over the next 130 years, such as the mobile phone: Indium. This newly discovered element owes its name to its indigo-colored spectral line. Indium was first presented to an astonished public at the World Exhibition in 1867. However, its great career began during World War II as a component of bearing coatings in aircraft engines.
The silver-white shiny Indium is obtained during zinc smelting. It is astonishing how soft Indium is in its pure form: Indium can be cut with a knife, and you can even carve notches into it with a fingernail. However, if you try to bend it, the crystals will break. This peculiarity expressed in numbers: Indium melts at just 156°C and does not turn into a gaseous state until 2080°C.
| Properties | Value |
|---|---|
Melting point | 156,6 °C |
Boiling Point | 2080°C |
Specific Weight | 7,31g/cm³ |
Mass Fraction/Earth's Crust | 0,1 ppm |
Color | silver-white glossy |
Annual production | ca. 1000t |
Main Producers | China, Australien |
Usage | Solar cell technology, touchscreens, nanotechnology, LCD displays |
In front of you is a computer monitor, next to you lies a mobile phone, in your living room hangs a super-thin TV screen, and all these devices contain indium. Indium is most commonly used in LCD displays. Indium compounds also play a significant role in thin-film photovoltaics (solar cell technology, especially the CIGS thin-film process) and nanotechnology.
Indium is also on the list of endangered technology metals for which the EU Commission predicts supply shortages. A significant reason for this is that China, as the main supplier, is responsible for more than 50% of the production and can thereby control the market. The largest deposits are also located in China. Experts expect an increase in indium demand by 15% by 2025.
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