Novel strong and tough Ta/TaHfC2 composites with multi-scale laminated structure

Ta-Hf-C ternary ceramics are good candidates for structural components used in extreme thermal environment. However, intrinsic brittleness greatly restricts their applications in reality. Here, we report a novel TaHfC₂-based composite with superior strength and toughness by employing Ta foil as interlayers to generate a multi-scale laminated structure together with the in situ formed Ta₂C MXene during sintering. Owing to the unique composition and microstructure, the tensile strength, shear strength, fracture toughness (K_IC), and work of fracture of Ta/TaHfC₂ have reached 233 ± 12 MPa, 64 ± 6 MPa, 13.16 ± 0.03 MPa·m^1/2, and 1726 ± 448 J/m² simultaneously, and all showed substantial increments when compared with TaHfC₂ monolithic ceramic and related Ta-Hf-C materials as showed in literatures. This study significantly improved the toughness of TaHfC₂, and it provides a new high-performance thermal structural material for the aerospace industry as well as a new idea for toughening ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) of transition metal carbides.