Hafnium carbonitride


Hafnium carbonitride is an ultra-high temperature ceramic mixed anion compound composed of hafnium, carbon and nitrogen.
Ab initio quantum chemistry methods| molecular dynamics calculations have predicted the HfCN to have a melting point of 4,110 ± 62 °C, the highest known for any material. Another approach based on the artificial neural network machine learning pointed towards a similar composition — HfC0.76N0.24. Experimental testing conducted in 2020 has confirmed a melting point above, substantiating earlier predictions made with atomistic simulations in 2015.

Properties

The HfCxN1−x has been assessed to possess the following properties:
  • Thermal conductivity:
  • * 19–24 W·m−1·K−1 at room temperature,
  • * 32–39 W·m−1·K−1 at high temperature and with increased nitrogen content.
  • Electrical conductivity: – Ω−1 m−1
  • Plasticity limit:
  • Fusion enthalpy:
  • Flexural strength:
  • * 638 ± 28 MPa at room temperature,
  • * 324 MPa at,
  • * 139 MPa at,
  • * 100 MPa at.
  • Fracture toughness: 6.73 ± 0.07 MPa·m1/2, 4.7 ± 0.3 MPa·m1/2
  • Vickers hardness:, 21.3 ± 0.55 GPa