Hard and tough novel high-pressure γ-Si3N4/Hf3N4 ceramic nanocomposites
Abstract
Cubic silicon nitride (γ-Si3N4) is superhard and one of the hardest materials after diamond and cubic boron nitride (cBN), but has higher thermal stability in an oxidizing environment than diamond, making it a competitive candidate for technological applications in harsh conditions (e.g., drill head and abrasives). Here, we report the high-pressure synthesis and characterization of the structural and mechanical properties of a γ-Si3N4/Hf3N4 ceramic nanocomposite derived from single-phase amorphous Si-Hf-N precursor. The synthesis of the γ-Si3N4/Hf3N4 nanocomposite is performed at ~20 GPa and ca. 1500 °C in a large volume multi anvil press. The structural evolution of the amorphous precursor and its crystallization to γ-Si3N4/Hf3N4 nanocomposites under high pressure is assessed by in situ synchrotron energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements at ~19.5 GPa in the temperature range from ca. 1000-1900 °C. The fracture toughness of the two-phase nanocomposite amounts ~6/6.9 MPa·m1/2 and is about 2 times that of single-phase γ-Si3N4, while its hardness of ca. 30 GPa remains high. This work provides a reliable and feasible route for the synthesis of advanced hard and tough γ-Si3N4-based nanocomposites with excellent thermal stabililty.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026hard,
title = {{Hard and tough novel high-pressure γ-Si3N4/Hf3N4 ceramic nanocomposites}},
author = {Wei Li and Zhaoju Yu and Leonore Wiehl and Tianshu Jiang and Ying Zhan and Emmanuel Ricohermoso and Martin Etter and Emanuel Ionescu and Qingbo Wen and Christian Lathe and Robert Farla and Dharma Teppala Teja and Sebastian Bruns and Marc Widenmeyer and Anke Weidenkaff and Leopoldo Molina-Luna and Ralf Riedel and Shrikant Bhat},
journal = {Journal of Advanced Ceramics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.26599/jac.2023.9220764},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05789887v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Hard and tough novel high-pressure γ-Si3N4/Hf3N4 ceramic nanocomposites
AU - Wei Li
AU - Zhaoju Yu
AU - Leonore Wiehl
AU - Tianshu Jiang
AU - Ying Zhan
AU - Emmanuel Ricohermoso
AU - Martin Etter
AU - Emanuel Ionescu
AU - Qingbo Wen
AU - Christian Lathe
AU - Robert Farla
AU - Dharma Teppala Teja
AU - Sebastian Bruns
AU - Marc Widenmeyer
AU - Anke Weidenkaff
AU - Leopoldo Molina-Luna
AU - Ralf Riedel
AU - Shrikant Bhat
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - Journal of Advanced Ceramics
DO - 10.26599/jac.2023.9220764
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05789887v1
AB - Cubic silicon nitride (γ-Si3N4) is superhard and one of the hardest materials after diamond and cubic boron nitride (cBN), but has higher thermal stability in an oxidizing environment than diamond, making it a competitive candidate for technological applications in harsh conditions (e.g., drill head and abrasives). Here, we report the high-pressure synthesis and characterization of the structural and mechanical properties of a γ-Si3N4/Hf3N4 ceramic nanocomposite derived from single-phase amorphous Si-Hf-N precursor. The synthesis of the γ-Si3N4/Hf3N4 nanocomposite is performed at ~20 GPa and ca. 1500 °C in a large volume multi anvil press. The structural evolution of the amorphous precursor and its crystallization to γ-Si3N4/Hf3N4 nanocomposites under high pressure is assessed by in situ synchrotron energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements at ~19.5 GPa in the temperature range from ca. 1000-1900 °C. The fracture toughness of the two-phase nanocomposite amounts ~6/6.9 MPa·m1/2 and is about 2 times that of single-phase γ-Si3N4, while its hardness of ca. 30 GPa remains high. This work provides a reliable and feasible route for the synthesis of advanced hard and tough γ-Si3N4-based nanocomposites with excellent thermal stabililty.
SN - 2226-4108
SN - 2227-8508
ER -