This material is touted for its resilience, merging the best properties of metals and ceramics, according to researchers.
Mixing the best of ceramics and metal
The MAX Phase is a class of advanced atomic scale materials. These are nanolaminates, which means they consist of alternating layers with characteristics typical of both metals and ceramics. This gives them the combined advantages of these two types of materials while minimizing their drawbacks.
Dr. Dariusz Garbiec, Deputy Director of the Łukasiewicz - Poznań Institute of Technology (often referred to as Łukasiewicz - PIT) and the creator of the new method, elaborated, as quoted by the Nauka w Polsce website: “It's exciting and innovative. It embodies the best of ceramics and metal. It conducts electricity and heat well, is resistant to high temperatures, and has high hardness and compression strength.”
He further explained, “It’s not a composite. It has a layered structure, a kind of nano-sandwich made of atomic layers, with both metallic and covalent bonds.”
Faster, more energy-efficient way to produce MAX Phase
Though the MAX Phase has been known within scientific circles for decades, its mass production has been limited due to high costs and the difficulty of ensuring material purity. However, the new approach devised by Łukasiewicz - PIT has made it possible to produce the MAX Phase more quickly and at a fraction of the cost. The process is now 90% shorter, requires 20% lower temperatures, and uses 80% less energy.
The MAX Phase is produced in powder or sintered forms and is then processed to achieve a specific design. Its distinctive properties, such as extreme temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, radiation resistance, and more, make it highly suitable for demanding industrial uses, including space applications.
Dr. Garbiec further detailed that on a laboratory scale, several hundred grams of the material can be produced in approximately two hours. This efficiency enables its potential commercial sale. A kilogram of the powder currently costs PLN 7,000 (approximately EUR 1,500).
Suitable for rockets, aircraft, high-speed trains
Given its properties, the MAX Phase material can be used in extreme conditions, such as in rockets, airplanes, and high-speed trains. Applications range from machine components, like engine nozzles and valves, to coatings. With dozens of potential combinations for this group of materials, further research is underway at Łukasiewicz – PIT.
“We've already filed a patent application and are in discussions with potential investors,” said Dr. Garbiec. “Currently, we can produce 2-3 kg of powder monthly in our laboratory. We aim to launch a production line to expand our production capacity.”
The Łukasiewicz Research Network (often referred to as Łukasiewicz) is named after Józef Łukasiewicz, a 19th-century Polish pharmacist and petroleum industry pioneer. Łukasiewicz is one of the largest research networks in Europe. Its 22 member institutions solve R&D challenges for commercial clients throughout the country.
(rt/pm)
Source: Nauka w Polsce
