Did you know that titanium color change before? And the best part is, it only gets more colorful when heated at high temperatures! This happens because of the amazing oxide film that forms when titanium reacts with oxygen in the air. This film doesn’t just protect the metal, but it’s also the source of its awesome colors!
The reaction equation for titanium oxidation is Ti+O2=TiO2, and this process occurs under high temperature conditions. At lower temperatures, the oxide film on the surface of titanium is almost transparent, making it difficult to discern with the naked eye. However, as the temperature increases, the oxide film gradually thickens and interferes with light, resulting in distinct color variations visible to the naked eye. Thus, the color of the titanium surface is dependent on the thickness and depth of the oxide film.
According to relevant studies, after heating in the air for half an hour, the surface of titanium heated at 200℃ is silver-white, 300℃ is light yellow, 400℃ is golden yellow, 500℃ is blue, 600℃ is purple, 700℃ (to) -800℃ is gray-red, 900℃ is gray, the entire color change can be described as colorful. The ignition temperature of natural gas is 270-540℃, the ignition temperature of liquefied petroleum gas is 365-460℃, and the ignition temperature of urban gas is 270-605℃, which can reach the temperature of titanium oxidation and discoloration. If your titanium pot can change color, it means that you are buying a pure high—quality titanium pot.
The oxide film of titanium can not only discolor titanium, but also greatly improve the corrosion resistance of titanium. However, the thicker the oxide film of titanium, the better the corrosion resistance. When the heating temperature is below 500℃, oxygen and titanium will form a dense oxide film of TiO2, which has a certain protective effect on the titanium surface; when the heating temperature is 600℃-700℃, the oxide film on the titanium surface will become thicker; after exceeding 700℃, although the thickness of the oxide film increases, it becomes loose, easy to break, and loses its protective effect.Therefore, generally at room temperature, titanium has good corrosion resistance.