MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM — Researchers from Britain and China have developed a new ceramic material that could be used as a coating material in hypersonic planes, which allows them to withstand the extreme temperatures generated by flying at hypersonic speed. <br /> <br />Objects travelling at hypersonic speed have to withstand surface temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Celsius, which is enough to melt materials commonly used in current aircraft construction. <br /> <br />The new ablation-resistant carbide is a substitutional solid solution of zirconium and titanium with boron atoms. It is made by densifying a carbon fibre preform — which is a reaction melt infiltrated to create a carbide composite — by chemical vapour infiltration using CH4 and H2 gases. <br /> <br />The surface region of the carbide comprises of up to 75% ceramic and 25% carbon, which is dense enough to act as a barrier to resist oxidation and extreme heat of up to 3,000 degrees Celsius. <br /> <br />Existing ultra-high temperature ceramics, such as zirconium carbide, is commercially used in tool bits for cutting tools. Researchers say the new carbide coating is 12 times better than the existing ones. <br /> <br />The study was led by researchers at The University of Manchester in collaboration with China's Central South University. It was published in the journal Nature Communications.
