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]
Manufacture
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]
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]