Cermet

A cermet is a composite material composed of ceramic (cer) and metal (met) materials. A cermet is a composite material composed of ceramic (cer) and metal (met) materials. A cermet is ideally designed to have the optimal properties of both a ceramic, such as high temperature resistance and hardness, and those of a metal, such as the ability to undergo plastic deformation. The metal is used as a binder for an oxide, boride, or carbide. Generally, the metallic elements used are nickel, molybdenum, and cobalt. Depending on the physical structure of the material, cermets can also be metal matrix composites, but cermets are usually less than 20% metal by volume. Cermets are used in the manufacture of resistors (especially potentiometers), capacitors, and other electronic components which may experience high temperature. Cermets are used instead of tungsten carbide in saws and other brazed tools due to their superior wear and corrosion properties. Titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbonitride (TiCN), titanium carbide (TiC) and similar can be brazed like tungsten carbide if properly prepared, however they require special handling during grinding. Composites of MAX phases, an emerging class of ternary carbides or nitrides with aluminium or titanium alloys have been studied since 2006 as high-value materials exhibiting favourable properties of ceramics in terms of hardness and compressive strength alongside ductility and fracture toughness typically associated with metals. Such cermet materials, including aluminium-MAX phase composites, have potential applications in automotive and aerospace applications. Some types of cermets are also being considered for use as spacecraft shielding as they resist the high velocity impacts of micrometeoroids and orbital debris much more effectively than more traditional spacecraft materials such as aluminum and other metals. After World War II, the need to develop high temperature and high stress-resistant materials became clear. During the war, German scientists developed oxide base cermets as substitutes for alloys. They saw a use for this for the high-temperature sections of new jet engines as well as high temperature turbine blades. Today ceramics are routinely implemented in the combuster part of jet engines because it provides a heat-resistant chamber. Ceramic turbine blades have also been developed. These blades are lighter than steel and allow for greater acceleration of the blade assemblies. The United States Air Force saw potential in the material technology and became one of the principal sponsors for various research programs in the US. Some of the first universities to research were Ohio State University, University of Illinois, and Rutgers University. The word cermet was actually coined by the United States Air Force, the idea being that they are a combination of two materials, a metal and a ceramic. Basic physical properties of metals include ductility, high strength, and high thermal conductivity. Ceramics possess basic physical properties such as a high melting point, chemical stability, and especially oxidation resistance.