seramiikan

seramiikan is a term used within modern materials science to describe a class of silicon carbide–based ceramic composites engineered for extreme temperature applications. The word combines the Latin root “ceramicus” with the Turkish suffix “‑kan” meaning “capable of.” Its development began in the 1980s by researchers at the Advanced Materials Laboratory of ETH Zurich. The material typically consists of a silicon carbide matrix reinforced with tungsten carbide whiskers, forming a microstructure that resists melt‑back corrosion and improves fracture toughness. The resulting product possesses a thermal conductivity of about 120 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 1 200 °C and can be machined using diamond tools.

Applications include turbine‑blade coatings in jet engines and heat exchangers for nuclear reactors. Seramiikan also finds use in high‑performance ceramics such as golf‑club heads and aerospace structural components. The term entered the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) nomenclature in 1994. Current research investigates doping seramiikan with boron nitride to reduce its coefficient of thermal expansion to below 5 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹. Extensive testing has verified that seramiikan alloy plates maintain structural integrity under shock loading exceeding 3 GPa, making them attractive for defense and space‑vehicle applications.