Aluminium Powder

As the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust, aluminium has long been used in a variety of applications. We see it in our daily lives in the form of thin foils within which we store and cook food, but aluminium can also be atomised to form a very fine grey powder such as this sample here which has a myriad of uses. For example, aluminium powder is one of the most used fuels in pyrotechnics and, depending on the particle size and the presence of impurities, can give different visual effects to fireworks. In powdered form, aluminium is also used as a pigment in the manufacturing of paints and coatings, giving them the metallic effect popular with cars. The powder can also be used in cold casting techniques where it is mixed with an appropriate resin and is ideal for casts requiring higher thermal properties, such as reduced shrinking. A layer of fine aluminium powder can also be found in the internal surface of the toy, Etch-a-Sketch, where it is scraped off by an internal stylus; this, in turn, leaving a black line.