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IMAGE: Scientists at Nagoya University, working in collaboration with NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd., have developed a set of composite materials composed of layers of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and tungsten carbide...
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Credit: Katsuyuki Matsunaga
Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are incredibly strong materials used in jet engines, gas turbines, and cutting tools for nickel superalloys. Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is hard and chemically inert, and tungsten carbide (WC) is used as a superhard material, but past efforts to create an Al2O3-WC CMC yielded unsatisfactory results. Recently, a study by Japanese scientists, published in
Scientific Reports, shows that adding zirconium atoms results in improved Al2O3-WC CMCs.