Physicists and technicians of the TSU and Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science SB RAS are developing experimental samples of ceramics that are resistant to extreme temperatures.

The scientists aim to invent a material that can withstand up to 3,000 degrees Celsius. The new product will be used in the space industry and in the manufacture of aircraft engines. Samples of the material were presented at the Second International Conference and Expo on Ceramics and Composite Materials, held 25-26 July in Berlin.

"For a typical metal, the temperature limit is 1,200 degrees Celsius, and there are alloys that can withstand up to 2,000," says Sergey Kulkov, head of the TSU department of the Faculty of Physics and Engineering and head of the laboratory ISPMS SB RAS. "We managed to create a new multi-layered ceramic material with heat resistance of the upper layer of more than 3,000 degrees Celsius."

This development is intended primarily for space and aviation. It will help to move to a new generation of engines. Multilayer ceramic (the layers are different types of ceramics based on hafnium carbide and zirconium diboride and oxide) will increase the temperature in the combustion chamber of jet engines. It also will provide increased protection of objects during reentry to the atmosphere.

Physicists and technicians plan to test their development in the head institute of Roscosmos State Corporation. The flow of plasma with hypersonic speed will be obtained in the special installation; a test sample of the multilayer ceramic will be placed in it. If in the first test stage the object remains intact at least for 20 seconds upon exposure to 2,200C, it will prove that the scientists are on the right track.

The new material will also have applications in diagnosis. It also can be used in the manufacture of protective covers for temperature sensors measuring temperatures in the combustion chambers of jet engines. The thermocouples with sapphire tips that are used now cannot withstand the heat and go out of order.

The development of a new material is part of the Federal Target Programme (14.607.21.0056-RFMEFI60714X0056). The industrial partner of TSU is CJSC NEVZ-CERAMICS (Novosibirsk). The project cost about 50 million rubles. Scientists plan to finish work in December 2016. Read the research paper here.