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Alternative steel loses its Achilles heel

January 31, 2003

Improved domestic and industrial cutting tools, stronger hip joints and better medical instruments should result from latest research looking at ceramic alternatives to steel.

The key to these advances lies in zirconia, a ceramic with steel-like strength and hardness and high resistance to wear and chemical corrosion. It is potentially well suited to industrial, medical and other uses. Zirconia blades, for example, are much sharper and smoother than conventional steel ones, are better for precision cutting and last up to 50 times longer.

The work is being carried out by materials researchers at the University of Sheffield, with funding from the Swindon based Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

To date, zirconia's use has been limited by its loss of strength and its subsequent cracking when subjected to temperatures of 100-600°C in the presence of water - a process known as hydrothermal degradation. Using state of the art techniques and working at the nanoscale, the research team has inhibited this process by adding trace quantities of materials such as alumina to the zirconia, without compromising its toughness. (One nanometer is one thousand millionth of a metre.) Targeting of the added materials prevents degradation from progressing into the zirconia from its surface.

The success of the work has been built on collaboration with the Universities of Glasgow and Leeds, as well as with Dynamic Ceramic, a small UK company. Sheffield University has provided scientific underpinning for the company, allowing it to develop a production route for a zirconia that is resistant to hydrothermal degradation.

Overall leader of the research is Professor Mark Rainforth of Sheffield University's Department of Engineering Materials. Professor Rainforth says: "Increased industrial productivity and improved comfort for hip replacement patients are just two of the many benefits that could result from overcoming zirconia's Achilles heel".

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

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