Ultra-high Temperature Ceramics for Extreme Environments

Abstract

Modern demands in clean energy and space exploration require materials scientists to develop materials that perform in the most extreme conditions in our universe. Recent advances in hypersonic travel and nuclear technology have brought a family of refractory transition metal carbides, nitrides and diborides, known as ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) to the forefront. These materials have extremely high melting points (>4,000 °C), high thermal conductivity (>140 W m−1 K−1) and strong transition-metal-to-non-metal bonding (>600 GPa mechanical stiffness), which promise to enable their application in extreme environments. This Review covers the relation of metal–non-metal (M–X) chemistry to the high-temperature, thermal, mechanical and oxidation behaviour of UHTCs and discusses the effect of synthesis and potential additives on their properties. In addition, we present new areas of research, including advances in additive manufacturing, high-entropy compositions and 2D materials to improve the processing and performance of UHTCs. A focus on chemistry–synthesis–processing relationships will be key to enabling innovative designs to bring UHTCs to fruition as extreme environment materials.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Comments

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate, Grant N00014-21-1-2799

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2058-8437

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2024 Nature Research, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Nov 2024

Link to Full Text

Share

 
COinS