Japan developed the world's highest temperature resistant silicon nitride ceramics

It is reported that in January 2004, the "New Century Heat-resistant Materials Project" ceramics group of the Japan Material Research Institute developed a silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramic material with the world's highest heat-resistant temperature of 1500°C. The conventional silicon nitride material has a heat-resistant temperature of 1,200C. The highest heat-resistant temperature has been 1350C attained by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's ceramic gas turbine project.
The new material was prepared by hot-pressing Si3N4 powder with 1% lanthanum additive in nitrogen at 10 atm. at 1950°C for 1 hour. The material was subjected to a creep test under a tensile stress of 1500°C and 137 MPa, and as a result, it could withstand more than 1400 hours without breaking. The new material is expected to be used in non-cooled high-temperature gas turbines, etc. It will contribute to the development of uncooled thermoelectric supply devices.