Handbook Of Refractory Carbides & Nitrides: Properties, Characteristics, Processing And Apps.

The main objective of this book is to: (1) provide a complete review of the structures and properties of refractory carbides and nitrides; (2) provide a thorough assessment of the technology, processing, and equipment and systems used in production and R&D, with emphasis on advanced designs; and (3) identify and describe the applications, particularly new and emerging areas.

Refractory carbides and nitrides are useful materials with numerous industrial applications and a promising future, in addition to being materials of great interest to the scientific community. Although most of their applications are recent, the refractory carbides and nitrides have been known for over one hundred years.

The industrial importance of the refractory carbides and nitrides is growing rapidly, not only in the traditional and well-established applications based on the strength and refractory nature of these materials such as cutting tools and abrasives, but also in new and promising fields such as electronics and opto-electronics. Some typical applications are as follows:

1. Silicon-nitride rotors, blades, rings, and burner tiles for gas turbines;

2) Tungsten-carbide cutting tools;

3) Titanium-nitride coatings on high-speed steel drill bits;

4) Silicon-carbide fibers and whiskers;

5) Boron-carbide abrasive blast nozzles;

6) Aluminum-nitride high thermal conductivity substrates for electronic circuits;

7) Silicon carbide burner tubes for gas furnaces;

8) Titanium nitride passivating and electrically insulating coatings for semiconductor devices;

9) Silicon carbide high-temperature semiconductor devices;

10) Silicon carbide blue light-emitting diode (LED).

The refractory carbides and nitrides are reviewed together in one book because:

1. They form two families of closely related materials which have similar atomic structures and chemistry.

2. Carbon and nitrogen are next to each other the second period of the Table of the Elements and, in many cases, the carbides and nitrides form solid solutions (known as carbonitrides).

3. Manyof their properties are similar.

4. They have essentially the same processing characteristics and basically the same applications.

5. In many respects, they complement each other.

The main objectives of this book can be summarized as follows:

1. Provide a complete review of the structures and properties of refractor carbides and nitrides

2. Provide a thorough assessment of the technology, processing, and equipment and systems used in production and R&D, with emphasis on advanced designs

3. Identify and describe the applications, particularly new and emerging areas.