MSE Supplies is your source for many types of crucibles, including MgO crucibles ranging from 10 mL to 100 mL, metal crucibles, ceramic crucibles, and high-purity lab crucibles. We also produce customized crucibles to your specifications from your applications. Request a quote today.
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Crucibles are essential lab tools that withstand extreme temperatures and harsh chemical conditions. They're containers crafted from high-purity materials like metals and ceramics, ensuring minimal contamination during use. Crucibles are integral to various scientific tasks, including melting, mixing, and analyzing samples under precise temperature and chemical control. With the diversity of materials available, such as Alumina, Zirconia, or Magnesium Oxide, it is critical to select the appropriate type of crucible for your specific application.
What are crucibles made of? Crucibles comprise various materials, including metals, ceramics, and compounds, each suitable for different applications, often based on the crucible melting point. MSE Supplies offers many types of crucibles, including:
When you choose MSE Supplies for all types of crucibles, you can count on the following:
Order all types of crucibles from MSE Supplies today. We offer the best quality crucibles in the industry for the lowest prices. Our in-house materials scientists are committed to providing exceptional service and advice. Check out our special offers and programs, then order online or request a quote.
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There are several factors one needs to consider when selecting a crucible, this can seem a daunting task because there are several things to consider. These factors can range from needed volume, the shape, and the chemical reactions between the crucible and the chemicals you put in it no name just a couple. Here is a list of some of the most important factors to consider when selecting a crucible.
This might seem a daunting list of questions to answer, but if you have ever chosen the wrong crucible for the job and ended up rebuilding your furnace you know the importance of answering these questions. If you need help choosing please continue reading this article. If you still need help our knowledgeable staff at MSE Supplies are here to help. Please feel free to us at to help you select a suitable crucible for your needs.
Alumina (Al2O3) Crucibles
Alumina crucibles (Al2O3) are widely used due to its versatility and its low cost. It is the most commonly used crucible for lab research use. The material has a high melting point is and relatively chemically inert. MSE Supplies offers a wide variety of shapes and sizes of Alumina crucibles. If you need a size or shape not listed on our website, please us at .
Magnesium Oxide (MgO) Crucibles
Magnesium Oxide (MgO) crucibles are good for ultra high temperatures and have a better chemical resistivity than that of alumina. MgO crucibles are usually inert to metals, slags, and superconducting compounds. When MgO crucibles are used in lithium solid state electrolyte synthesis or sintering, MgO has its own unique advantage of not reacting with lithium unlike Al2O3 crucibles, therefore it maintains the lithium vapor pressure better without causing access lithium loss in the solid state electrolyte. If you need a size or shape not listed on our website, please us at .
Zirconia (ZrO2) Crucibles
Zirconia (ZrO2) crucibles have excellent wear, chemical and temperature resistance. It can withstand high temperatures. It is ideal for applications which require temperatures higher than Alumina crucibles can withstand temperature (°C), such as melting of precious metals and super-alloys which have melting point higher than °C. If you need a size or shape not listed on our website, please us at .
Boron Nitride (BN) Crucibles
Boron Nitride (BN) crucibles are a synthetic technical ceramic material. It has outstanding thermal characteristics: high thermal conductivity (751 W/mK) and excellent thermal shock resistance. The unique property of BN crucible is that it is non-wetting with molten metal. It is widely used for crystal growth, melting metals, rare earth materials, fluorides, glass, silicon, molten salt and luminescent materials. It is ideal for oxygen sensitive applications. If you need a size or shape not listed on our website, please us at .
Graphite (C) Crucibles
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Graphite (C) crucibles are made from high purity (>99.9%) graphite raw material. It has unique features such as high temperature resistance, excellent acid and alkali resistance, good thermal shock resistance, excellent thermal/electrical conductivity and high mechanical strength. It is widely used for induction heating and metal melting, such as Ag, Au, Cu and Al metals. If you need a size or shape not listed on our website, please us at .
Porcelain Crucibles
Porcelain crucibles have good wear resistance, high temperature tolerance, excellent cold crushing and thermal shock resistance, and excellent chemical corrosion resistance. It is widely used for metallurgy, glass melting, gemstone purification, chemical industry and material science. It is the most economical crucible for applications with temperature lower than °C. If you need a size or shape not listed on our website, please us at .
Quartz Crucibles
Quartz crucibles (>99.99%) have excellent thermal shock resistance and are chemically inert to most elements and compounds, including virtually all acids, regardless of concentration, except hydrofluoric acid. They are widely used for material melting and chemical reactions in tube furnaces. If you need a size or shape not listed on our website, please us at .
MSE Supplies (msesupplies.com/) is a major supplier of crucibles. MSE Supplies offers a wide range of high purity lab crucibles, including Alumina (Al2O3), Zirconia (ZrO2), Quartz (SiO2), Magnesium Oxide (MgO), Boron Nitride (BN), Porcelain, Graphite (Carbon), Copper (Cu), Molybdenum (Mo), Nickel (Ni), Tantalum (Ta), Tungsten (W), Zirconium (Zr), PTFE and more. Customized lab crucibles are available upon request. Find popular high purity laboratory crucibles for sale at MSE Supplies.
A crucible is a vessel used to melt substances, usually metallic elements, prior to casting. This demands extremely high-temperature resistance, plus outstanding chemical and physical stability. As a minimum, crucibles must have a melting point higher than that of the materials they contain. They must also be chemically compatible with melts otherwise there is a risk of reactions occurring between the vessel walls and the molten substance. This can lead to rapid crucible deterioration and melt contamination.
What are Crucibles Used for?
The word crucible is often used in a metaphorical sense to describe a severe situation whereby multiple elements interact to create something new. That is an apt description of the actual working principles of crucibles in industries and laboratories today.
Crucibles have been used for millennia to cast metals and to create alloys, by adding a combination of metallic powders or blanks and heating them to the point of melting. Some mechanical agitation may be induced to encourage mixing before the melt is poured into a mold, yielding boules, ingots, or semi-finished profiles. This crucible smelting process is also central to small-batch scrap metal recycling. Heavy-duty steel crucibles may be used in the secondary aluminum industry. However, steel crucibles are prone to scaling which may lead to contamination issues.
Meanwhile, the uses of laboratory crucibles run the gamut of scientific experimentation and preparation. Lab-grade crucibles are comprised of high-temperature materials which exhibit a marginal likelihood of contaminating the analyte. This is crucial in analytical chemistry and sample prep for trace and ultra-trace level determination of a sample’s constituents. Consequently, only inert high-temp materials like platinum or zirconium are suitable for scientific applications.
Different Types of Crucibles
Crucibles primarily differ by application, material, and profile—though some are distinguished by whether they use a cover/lid or not.
There are industrial and scientific crucibles with some crossover in certain industries where findings or processes must be validated by lab results. In which case, inert crucibles made of inert ceramics/metallic components will be used, rather than standard graphite or steel crucibles. These include platinum, zirconium, silicon carbide, and more. Some examples of platinum alloy crucibles include:
Crucible geometries and profiles vary significantly, with different applications requiring different solutions. Read our article on the range of platinum crucibles for more insight into the differences between standard form crucibles and volatile matter crucibles.
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