Scandium oxide
Properties
Chemical formula: Sc₂O₃
Name: Scandium(III) oxide / scandium oxide / scandia
CAS No.: 12060-08-1
Molar mass: 137.91 g/mol
Density: 3.86 g/cm³
Melting point: approx. 2485 °C
Color: white
Form: fine powder
Crystal structure: cubic bixbyite type
Solubility: practically insoluble in water, soluble in hot mineral acids
Scandium(III) oxide (Sc₂O₃), also known as scandium oxide or scandia, is an inorganic rare-earth oxide and one of the primary commercial and raw-material forms of scandium. It is supplied as a fine, odorless white powder. With a melting point of approximately 2485 °C, Sc₂O₃ offers exceptionally high thermal and chemical stability.
At room temperature, scandium oxide crystallizes in a cubic bixbyite-type structure. The compound is amphoteric and practically insoluble in water and dilute alkalis, while heating in hot mineral acids dissolves the material and forms the corresponding scandium salts.
One of the most important properties of Sc₂O₃ is its ability to act as a stabilizer and dopant in ceramic crystal lattices. When scandium oxide is introduced into zirconium dioxide, scandia-stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) is formed. This material provides very high oxygen-ion conductivity among solid electrolytes at moderate operating temperatures.
Scandium oxide also has a wide band gap of approximately 6.0 eV and a high refractive index of around 1.98-2.05 in the visible and infrared ranges. In addition, the material offers excellent optical transparency from the near-UV into the mid-IR region.
Industrial production of Sc₂O₃ is mainly based on the precipitation of scandium hydroxide or scandium oxalate from purified extraction solutions, followed by high-temperature calcination above 800 °C.
Scandium and its compounds are especially important in solid oxide fuel cells, optical coatings, high-performance ceramics, electronics and semiconductor technology. Scandium oxide is also a key starting material for the production of scandium fluoride and high-purity scandium metal.
Would you like to buy scandium oxide? Auremo can provide information about available purity grades and delivery conditions. The scandium price, scandium metal price and scandium price per kg primarily refer to metallic scandium, while the scandium oxide price depends on purity, quantity and material specifications.
Advantages
• Very high oxygen-ion conductivity in ScSZ electrolytes
• Supports higher electrochemical efficiency in solid oxide fuel cells
• Exceptionally high thermal stability
• Melting point of approximately 2485 °C
• High refractive index
• Optical transparency from near-UV to mid-IR wavelengths
• Suitable as a stabilizing and doping additive in advanced ceramics
• Important raw material for high-purity scandium and scandium compounds
Applications
• Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC)
• Scandia-stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) electrolytes
• Laser and thin-film optics
• Evaporation and sputtering materials
• Antireflective coatings and UV filters
• High-performance mirror coatings
• Specialty and high-performance ceramics
• Silicon nitride and zirconia ceramics
• Electronics and semiconductor technology
• Sputtering targets for piezoelectric AlScN films
• High-k dielectric materials
• Production of scandium fluoride and high-purity scandium metal
Auremo offers scandium oxide and other rare-earth materials for industrial and technical applications. If you have any questions about Sc₂O₃, available purity grades, product forms or delivery conditions, please contact us directly.
