MUMBAI, India, June 27 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202331042110 A) filed by Indian Institute Of Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, on Dec. 23, 2023, for 'silicon-aluminum based composites by liquid metal infiltration technique for structural applications.'
Inventor(s) include Udit Kumar; Bikash Kumar Samantaray; and Dr. Srikant Gollapudi.
The application for the patent was published on June 27, under issue no. 26/2025.
According to the abstract released by the Intellectual Property India: "Silicon-Aluminum based composites by liquid metal infiltration technique for structural applications Neither silicon nor its alloys have found much application as a structural material due to its low fracture toughness at KIc ~ 0.8 to 1 MPa.m1/2 despite having high hardness (H ~ 9-11 GPa) and a low density of 2.3 g/cm3. If silicon can be engineered to enhance its fracture toughness and hardness, then it might be able to compete with engineering ceramics for niche applications. Keeping in mind challenges of poor sintering tendency due to native oxide layer and poor green strength, an alloy of 70 wt.% silicon with 30 wt.% aluminum foil (Si-30Al) was prepared using liquid phase infiltration technique. The green strength of the Si-30Al was improved by addition of 5 wt.% PVA solution. The present invention demonstrates that silicon - 30 wt.% aluminum composites bear high strength while early signs of improved fracture toughness is indicated by development of crack blunting behavior upon interaction with aluminum network in the silicon matrix. This is the first report for development of silicon-aluminum composite through liquid phase infiltration technique using powder metallurgy approach."
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
