@article{Qin2026, 
author = {Xiaowei Qin and Ji Zou and Weimin Wang and Wei Ji and Zhengyi Fu},
title = {Intergrown columnar clusters toughening silicon nitride ceramics},
year = {2026},
journal = {Journal of Advanced Ceramics},
volume = {15},
number = {6},
pages = {9221303},
keywords = {toughness, silicon nitride, high-pressure sintering, metastable growth, intergrown cluster},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/JAC.2026.9221303},
doi = {10.26599/JAC.2026.9221303},
abstract = {Silicon nitride (Si3N4) is an excellent candidate for engineering ceramics; however, its toughness and hardness remain fundamentally constrained by the inherent limitations arising from the incompatible α-phase (characterized by high hardness) and β-phase (characterized by high toughness). Herein, we report the exploration of advanced Si3N4 ceramics enabled by an intergrown cluster microstructure, which achieves a synergistic enhancement in both toughness (10.2±0.3 MPa·m1/2) and Vickers hardness (20.1±0.3 GPa). These synergistic properties represent the state-of-the-art among Si3N4 ceramics fabricated via liquid-phase sintering reported to date. The formation of columnar clusters is driven by a high-pressure-induced coarsening process. The established metastable growth mechanism may open an avenue for fabricating new-generation Si3N4 ceramics with superb performance.}
}