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Under the spotlight of materials science, silicon nitride ceramics are like a “special forces soldier” with extraordinary skills. They can withstand the test of intense heat and also excel in precision applications. This new material, formed by the ingenious combination of silicon and nitrogen, is redefining modern industry’s perception of ceramics.

Guardian Through Flames

The most remarkable feature of silicon nitride is its composure at high temperatures. While ordinary metals start to glow red and soften, silicon nitride remains resolute. This characteristic stems from its unique atomic structure, resembling a three-dimensional fortress built with countless tiny triangles. Even when exposed to a 1200°C blaze, it maintains its shape. It can be found calmly standing by in steel mills’ continuous casting roller paths and in the combustion chambers of aerospace engines.

The Industrial Artist at Home in Both Motion and Stillness

Unlike the “brittle temper” of traditional ceramics, silicon nitride exhibits surprising flexibility. Its fracture toughness is 3 to 5 times that of ordinary ceramics. This “rigid yet flexible” quality enables it to serve as a sharp cutting tool on precision machine tools and as a smooth ball bearing in wind turbine generators. Even more astonishingly, it can coexist peacefully with metals, avoiding destructive stress during temperature fluctuations, making it an “all-rounder” in the industrial world.

The Invisible Master of Cross-Border Applications

From ball bearings to the most advanced and ideal diesel engine ignition devices, silicon nitride is breaking through traditional application boundaries. It offers higher precision than metal bearings, generates less heat, and can operate in high temperatures and corrosive media. The silicon nitride ceramic glow plug jointly developed by the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Research Institute of the Ministry of Machinery and Electronics Industry has solved the problem of difficult cold start for diesel engines. This “one expert in many fields” trait makes it a “universal material puzzle piece” in the hands of engineers.

The Existence of Performance Ceiling

Even for a “six-sided warrior” like silicon nitride, there are still bottlenecks to overcome. The high impact resistance of silicon nitride ceramics begins to deteriorate with prolonged use when the temperature exceeds 1200°C, reducing its strength. At temperatures above 1450°C, it is more prone to fatigue damage, like a carefully built tower of blocks starting to wobble and reconfigure. Under continuous ultra-high temperatures and strong oxidation, its mechanical properties also gradually decline, leaving a technical peak for materials scientists to continue climbing.

From heavy industry to precision manufacturing, silicon nitride ceramics have proven with their strength that true powerhouses can not only hold their ground in extreme environments but also possess the wisdom of flexibility in survival. The ongoing exploration of this material to break performance boundaries is a vivid portrayal of human spirit of technological innovation.