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Nanoceramic composites

Tough to test

Nature Materials volume 3, pages 505–506 (2004)Cite this article

Ceramic composites reinforced with nanoscale materials such as nanotubes are widely expected to have superior mechanical properties compared with more conventional composite materials. However, new work shows that the toughness of these nanocomposites can be severely overestimated when measured by the standard indentation method.

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Figure 1: SEM images showing top views of Vickers indentation sites4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Engineering at Brown University Box D, Providence, 02912, Rhode Island, USA

    Brian W. Sheldon & William A. Curtin

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  1. Brian W. Sheldon
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  2. William A. Curtin
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Correspondence to Brian W. Sheldon.

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Sheldon, B., Curtin, W. Tough to test. Nature Mater 3, 505–506 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1174

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