High fracture toughness of HfC through nano‐scale templating and novel sintering aids

An approach to improve the sintering ability and the fracture toughness of hafnium carbide (HfC) ceramic by designing a unique composite structure is reported. The uniform and ultra‐fine HfC nanoparticles (~300 nm) are synthesized at 1450°C by vacuum carbonization reaction with the glucose‐derived hydrothermal precursor as a carbon source and template. HfC ceramic sintered with a SiCN sintering aid of 15 vol. % possesses a beneficial...