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Appendix D. Site Reports—Japan 285<br />

nano/nano composites. Intragranular <strong>and</strong> intergranular nanocomposites,<br />

even at elevated temperatures, result in remarkably improved mechanical<br />

properties, including (1) fracture toughness, (2) abrasive <strong>and</strong> cutting<br />

performance, (3) fracture mode, (4) fracture strength, (5) maximum<br />

operating temperature, <strong>and</strong> (6) creep resistance. As an example, toughness<br />

may increase 1.5 to 4 times in the Al 2 O 3 /SiC system. Hybridization of<br />

micro- <strong>and</strong> nanocomposites using fiber-reinforced components results in<br />

toughness improvements at higher temperatures.<br />

Specific Classifications<br />

Multifunctional ceramics, then, can have some specific classifications:<br />

1. micro-nano composites with enhanced toughness (Al 2 O 3 /SiC)<br />

2. hard matrix/soft dispersion nanocomposites (Si 3 /N 4 /BN)<br />

3. soft matrix/hard dispersion nanocomposites<br />

4. structural ceramics<br />

5. nanopore composites as future targets<br />

Preparation<br />

The process for preparing these ceramic materials involves a sintering<br />

reaction where the challenge is to keep different size particles uniformly<br />

dispersed to prevent nonuniform distribution.<br />

Wet ball milling is also used, where materials like Si 3 N 4 are mixed with<br />

Al 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 , H 3 BO 3 , <strong>and</strong> urea. After ball milling, the material is dried <strong>and</strong><br />

subjected to hydrogen reduction. Such processes have yielded properties like<br />

high strength, excellent thermal shock resistance, good chemical inertness,<br />

<strong>and</strong> easy machinability similar to metals. Addition of chrome oxide has also<br />

yielded improvements in Young’s modulus <strong>and</strong> fracture strength.<br />

Although the institute has no formal process for patents, the work has<br />

resulted in the granting of 35 patents from this ceramic technology.<br />

Collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of <strong>Technology</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />

laboratories in Germany is ongoing.<br />

Equipment<br />

A tour of laboratory facilities showed a wide range of processing <strong>and</strong><br />

characterization equipment. Included are (1) ceramic ovens, (2) Instron with<br />

filament-winding equipment (3) X-ray diffractometer with temperature range<br />

to 2000 o C, (4) laser Raman, (5) hot isostatic press, (6) SEM, (7) AFM, (8)<br />

nano-indentor, <strong>and</strong> (9) spark plasma sintering systems.

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