| Scope |
Silicon nitrides (Si3N4) are a range of advanced engineering ceramics characterised by high strength, toughness and hardness and excellent chemical and thermal stability. Silicon nitride was discovered in the mid-nineteenth century but did not lend itself to ease of fabrication, due to its covalently bonded nature. Current research is focused on the development of a number of commercial applications for silicon nitride based materials, such as in metal forming, industrial wear and molten metal handling, severe-service applications such as turbines and high-end ball bearings, and the growing field of biomedical applictions. The different types of silicon nitride, RBSN, HPSN, SRBSN and SSN, result from their method of fabrication, which governs their resulting properties and applications. |