Barium tungsten electrode is an important innovation of cathode material in X-ray tube, which is composed of tungsten matrix and barium compound. Tungsten provides a high melting point of 3422°C and excellent corrosion resistance, while the addition of barium reduces the work function to 1.6 eV (pure tungsten is 4.5 eV), making electrons easier to emit, and the current density reaches 10 A/cm2, which significantly improves the efficiency of thermal electron emission.
In X-ray tubes, barium tungsten electrodes show unique advantages. As a cathode material, it supports pulse working mode and can work stably in the high voltage range of tens of kilovolts to hundreds of kilovolts. China Tungsten Intelligent Manufacturing provides customized barium tungsten electrode sizes according to customer requirements to meet high-precision imaging needs. The electron beam is precisely controlled by the gate-controlled electrode to optimize the spatial and temporal resolution of the imaging system.
The manufacturing process adopts the impregnation method, the tungsten powder is mixed and pressed into shape, and a porous tungsten sponge is formed by low-temperature and high-temperature sintering to increase the effective emission area. Barium compounds (such as barium aluminate) are combined with the tungsten matrix after high-temperature sintering. This process ensures that the electrode has both high emission performance and long life.
Barium tungsten electrodes are widely used in medical imaging (CT, DR equipment), industrial non-destructive testing (material analysis, welding quality inspection) and security inspection (baggage scanning). Its efficient electron emission supports high-resolution imaging, and its low work function adapts to high-frequency pulse operation and prolongs the life of the equipment. For example, in medical CT, the barium tungsten cathode supports fast scanning and reduces the patient's radiation dose; in industrial testing, it can accurately identify internal defects in the material.
The non-radioactive toxicity and anti-poisoning ability of barium tungsten electrodes further broaden the application scenarios and become a key material to promote the development of X-ray technology in an efficient and safe direction.
