Novel precipitation–densification strategy enables hardness–toughness synergy in in-situ composite ceramics of triphase silicon nitride ceramics
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Oct-2026 00:16 ET (29-Oct-2026 04:16 GMT/UTC)
Achieving high hardness and toughness simultaneously remains a major challenge in advanced structural ceramics. Silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramics provide a promising platform because their α, β, and γ polymorphs exhibit complementary strengthening and toughening characteristics. However, differences in transformation kinetics and rapid volume shrinkage during phase transitions hinder the formation of uniform multiphase microstructures with strong interfacial bonding. Here, a novel phase-transition-regulated precipitation–densification strategy was developed to construct triphase Silicon nitride in-situ composite ceramics with synergistic mechanical properties. This approach provides a new pathway for overcoming the hardness–toughness trade-off and advancing high-performance structural ceramics for demanding engineering applications.
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