Among the many materials used in industrial production, aluminum foil plays an indispensable role in several key areas due to its unique physicochemical properties.
As crucial components for storing charge in electronic circuits, capacitors are widely used in home appliances, automotive electronics, and new energy equipment. Aluminum foil is one of the core materials inside capacitors, primarily functioning as electrode foil.
The key to aluminum foil's ideal choice as an electrode in capacitor structures lies in its ability to form a porous structure through an etching process. After special etching treatment, the surface area of the aluminum foil increases significantly, effectively creating more "storage space" for charge and significantly improving the capacitor's capacitance.
Simultaneously, the excellent conductivity of capacitor aluminum foil ensures rapid charge transfer between electrodes, reducing energy loss and allowing the capacitor to maintain efficient and stable performance during charging and discharging.
Furthermore, aluminum foil possesses excellent oxidation properties. During capacitor manufacturing, a dense oxide film (aluminum oxide) forms on the surface of the aluminum foil. This oxide film has excellent insulation properties, effectively isolating the positive and negative electrodes, preventing charge leakage, and ensuring the capacitor's lifespan and safety.
Currently, with the rapid development of industries such as new energy vehicles and 5G communications, the performance requirements for capacitors are becoming increasingly stringent. High-purity, high-specific-surface-area aluminum foil has thus become a key research focus, further promoting its upgraded application in the electronics industry.
In ventilation systems of industries such as construction, chemical processing, and food processing, aluminum foil is also an important supporting material, mainly used for insulation, moisture protection, and sealing of ventilation ducts, ensuring efficient air transport.
From an insulation perspective, aluminum foil has a low thermal conductivity and a smooth surface that effectively reflects heat. Combining it with insulation materials such as glass wool and rock wool to create composite ventilation ducts reduces heat exchange between the air inside the duct and the external environment, ensuring stable air temperature (for example, in air conditioning systems, preventing temperature loss of cold or hot air during transmission), while also reducing energy consumption, meeting the energy-saving requirements of the industrial sector.
In terms of moisture resistance and corrosion resistance, aluminum foil possesses excellent chemical stability, rarely reacting with water or moisture. Using it as the outer or inner layer material of ventilation ducts effectively isolates external moisture and corrosive gases from entering the ductwork, preventing rust or corrosion of the inner walls due to moisture, thus extending the service life of the ventilation ducts.
It also ensures the cleanliness of the transported air, preventing impurities from entering the air and affecting the production environment due to duct damage (especially in industries with high air cleanliness requirements, such as food processing and pharmaceutical manufacturing).
Furthermore, the lightweight and easy-to-process nature of aluminum foil duct facilitates the fabrication and installation of ventilation ducts. Compared to traditional metal duct materials, aluminum foil composite ducts are lighter, saving manpower and time costs during transportation and installation. They can also be cut into different sizes and shapes to suit various complex industrial plant layouts.
Besides its core applications in capacitors and ventilation ducts, aluminum foil, with its diverse properties, plays an important role in packaging, printing, aerospace, and other industrial fields. For example, in industrial product packaging, aluminum foil can be used for moisture-proof and oxidation-proof sealed packaging; in the aerospace field, high-purity aluminum foil can be used to manufacture lightweight parts.