Researchers from Imperial College London have recently developed two new heat-resistant materials, Tantalum Carbide (TaC) and Hafnium Carbide (HaC), which can withstand high temperatures up to nearly 4000°C.
It is worth mentioning that the research team from Imperial College London also found that the melting point of hafnium carbide has set a new record in the field of materials. Considering that the two materials have the ability to withstand the extreme high temperature of nearly 4000 ℃, these two materials may be used in more severe and extreme environments, such as the insulation shield of the next generation of hypersonic spacecraft.
Tantalum carbide and hafnium carbide are both refractory ceramics, which means that these two materials have extremely outstanding heat resistance. The ability of these two materials to withstand extremely harsh environments means that their potential applications may include thermal protection systems for high-speed spacecraft and fuel cladding in nuclear reactors in superheated environments. However, since there is no technology that can test the melting points of the two ceramics, TaC and HfC, currently in the laboratory, it is still uncertain whether they are really capable of working under extreme environmental conditions.
To this end, researchers have developed a new type of extreme heating technology that uses lasers to test the heat resistance of TaC and HfC. Using this technology, researchers have determined the melting points of the elemental and mixtures of TaC and HfC. The research was recently published in the journal "Scientific Reports."
They found that the measured melting point of the mixture of the two ceramics (Ta0.8H2O20C) was consistent with previous research results, reaching 3905°C, but the melting points of these two compounds themselves were higher than previously discovered-the melting point of TaC reached 3768℃, while HfC is 3958℃.
Researchers say that the emergence of these two materials will pave the way for the development of next-generation hypersonic aircraft. This means that future spacecraft can become much faster than ever before.
The research was conducted by Dr. Omar Cedillos Barraza during his PhD in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London. Dr. Sadilos Baraza is currently an associate professor at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Dr. Sadilos Baraza said: "When an aircraft flies at hypersonic speeds exceeding Mach 5, the friction between it and the air will generate high temperatures. So far, neither TaC nor HfC has been used. In the development of hypersonic aircraft. However, our new findings show that these two materials are more heat-resistant than we previously thought. In fact, their heat-resistant performance has exceeded any other compound known to man. This fact means that they may be used for new types of spacecraft: in the atmosphere, these spacecraft can fly like ordinary airplanes and then fly in space at hypersonic speeds. These two materials can make spacecraft Able to withstand the extreme heat generated by traveling through the atmosphere."
Examples of potential uses of TaC and HfC include the nose covers of spacecraft and the edges of external instruments that have the greatest friction with the outside world during flight.
At present, spacecraft exceeding Mach 5 cannot achieve manned flight. But Dr. Cedillos Baraza pointed out that this dream is likely to be realized in the future.
Dr. Sedilouth Baraza added: "Our tests have shown that these two materials have great potential when building future spacecraft. These two materials can withstand such high extreme temperatures. It means that one day in the future, manned hypersonic spacecraft may really appear. If we can fly at Mach 5, the flight time from London to Sydney will only take about 50 minutes, which will open up the world A new continent gestating new business opportunities."