Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

A silicon carbide with a fracture toughness as high as 9.1 MPa.m1/2 has been developed by hot pressing b-SiC powder with aluminum, boron, and carbon additions (ABC-SiC). Central in this material development has been systematic transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and mechanical characterizations. In particular, atomic-resolution electron microscopy and nanoprobe composition quantification were combined in analyzing grain boundary structure and nanoscale structural features.