High-temperature damage-tolerance of coextruded, bioinspired (“nacre-like”), alumina/nickel compliant-phase ceramics

High volume fraction “brick-and-mortar” alumina ceramic structures in the image of naturally occurring nacre, containing a metallic nickel mortar, were processed using coextrusion. The damage-tolerant properties of these bioinspired ceramics were evaluated at temperatures up to 900 °C, both to explore the evolution of toughening with changes in mortar plasticity and to evaluate the viability of these materials at high temperature. The “nacre-like” alumina was found to display significantly higher toughness at elevated temperatures up to 800 °C due to enhanced ductility and interphase failure within the metallic mortar.212