Being able to withstand higher temperatures is central to better engineering for more efficient jet engines, high efficiency turbines for energy. Higher temperature materials are fundamental to allowing many things to be faster, more powerful and more efficient.

University of Manchester and Central South University of China performed the work. This breakthrough also means that China will be catching up on fighter jet engines and rocket applications and cutting tools.

They have designed a carbide assembled by solid solution and atomic diffusion during PC and RMI (reactive melt infiltration). The carbide coating developed by teams in both University of Manchester and Central South University is proving to be 12 times better than the conventional UHTC, Zirconium carbide (ZrC). ZrC is an extremely hard refractory ceramic material commercially used in tool bits for cutting tools.