MULTIPLE CRACK-HEALING AND STRENGTH RECOVERY IN MAX PHASE CERAMICS

MAX phase materials such as Ti3AlC2, Ti2AlC and Cr2AlC are very attractive materials in their own right as they combine desirable metallic and ceramic properties at the same time due to their atomically layered and hexagonal crystal structure. In our earlier studies [1, 2] we demonstrated that these materials possess interesting self healing properties when exposed to high temperatures in an oxidizing environment. The recovery of mechanical strength is due to the formation of a residue of desirable composition (mainly α-Al2O3, but also some TiO2); see Fig. 1