Multiphase ceramic nanofibers with super-elasticity from − 196–1600 ℃

Abstract

Ceramics, as an excellent functional-structural material, serve widely in all areas of humanity production and life. However, the intrinsic brittleness of ceramic makes it a great challenge to design a reliable structure that can resist the mechanical stresses and sharp thermal shocks under extreme conditions. Here, we designed and delivered multiphase ceramic nanofibers (MPC-NFs) with robust structural and thermal stabilities. The superiority of the structural design is that the mutual inhibition of the two crystalline phases with continuous energy input, and the synergetic effect of the crystalline-amorphous phase endows multidimensional flexibility of ceramics in a high-temperature environment. The MPC-NFs possess superior structural stability from deep-cryogenic (−196 °C) along the way to ultra-high temperature (1600 °C) and structural strength that can resist thousand large-scale buckling or compressive cycles. This work not only developed a reliable material for thermal insulation in extreme environments, but also provides new theoretical insight on the elasticity in ceramics.