Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/K71325/01
Title:	FABRICATION OF NOVEL ALUMINA MATRIX NANOCOMPOSITES
Principal Investigator:	Todd, Professor RI
Other Investigators:	Sale, Professor F
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Manchester Materials Science Centre
Organisation:	Victoria University of Manchester, The
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 February 1996	Ends:	31 March 1998	Value (£):	105,736
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Materials Processing
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Construction
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Summary on Grant Application Form
Alumina based nanocomposites are significantly stronger and more wear resistant than pure alumina. The beneficial effects of the nanoscale reinforcement (typically 100 nm SiC) can be rationalised in terms of an apparent strengthening of the grain boundaries. Up to now, the development of structural ceramics has been dominated by the idea that the macroscopic properties can be improved by modifying the microstructure. The mechanism responsible for the nanocomposite effect has not been identified, and progress is hindered by the limited range of micro- and nano-structures which can be produced by conventional processing methods. The aim of this proposal is to use new approaches to produce and characterise novel structures, to correlate them with the macroscopic properties of the materials, and hence to determine the machanism(s) responsible for the property enhancements.
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