The indium is a chemical element, of symbol In and of Atomic number 49.
Indium is a gray metal shining, at low melting point (156°), corrosion resistant atmospheric.
History
The indium, named according to the indigo line of its atomic spectrum, was discovered by
Ferdinand Reich and
Hieronimus Theodor Richter in
1863 whereas they tested ores of
Zinc with a spectrograph invented by
Robert Wilhelm Bunsen to find
Thallium. Richter succeeds in insulating metal in
1867.
Uses
One uses indium in several forms: of séléniure of InSe
2 indium, nitride of indium
Gallium InGaN and diséléniure of
Copper - CuInSe
2 indium.
Research in progress on cells combining several layers: gallium-indium
Phosphorus,
Gallium arsenide and
Germanium (GaInP-AsGa-Ge) make it possible to hope for outputs higher than 30%.
They have a lower output (10-20%) but are much easier to manufacture in great dimension, one uses indium oxide
tin, a copper-indium-selenium mixture (CuInSe
2) or copper-indium-gallium-selenium.
Indium arsenide up to 3,8 μm and Antimonide of indium (InSb) up to 5 μm.
Other uses
- Mechanical: bearings for stage and bearing
The alloy of Indium to steel strongly decreases the friction resistance and, by there, the losses of power.
Indium strongly adheres to glass and is used for its properties of reflection, coloring (yellow clearly) and electric driver.
It is used thus as transparent electrode in the screens with Liquid crystals, to produce mirrors and in certain laminated glasses, to make them heating.
- Alloys at low melting point
It is used in certain weldings making it possible to avoid the presence of Plomb.
The alloy gallium-indium (76% - 24%) is liquid with the room temperature. It is used (in experiments) to not constitute a liquid mirror for Télescope in substitute polluting with mercury.
In nuclear medicine, Indium-111, with its two emissions gamma of 173 and 247 keV, makes it possible to carry out certain examinations. For example, it is possible to carry out a Scintigraphie by means of white globules marked with Indium-111 to locate active abdominal processes and recent infectious processes (since less than 2 weeks). Bound to certain pharmaceutical, this radioactive isotope can make it possible to locate various neuro-endocrine tumors (insulinomists, gastrinomists, paragangliomes, carcinoïde,
Phéochromocytome, etc). It is also useful in scinticisternography.
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