A ternary layered rare earth boron-carbon compound Sc2B1.1C3.2 with excellent damage tolerance and electrical conductivity

The exploration of novel ceramic materials with both high strength and damage tolerance has consistently been of paramount importance for advancing the development of ceramics in multiple fields. In this study, a novel ternary layered rare earth boron-carbon compound Sc2B1.1C3.2 was successfully synthesized through an in-situ hot pressing method. The physical and mechanical properties of Sc2B1.1C3.2 were characterized for the first time, encompassing Young's modulus (228 GPa), shear modulus (94 GPa), bulk modulus (131 GPa), Poisson's ratio (0.21), Vickers hardness (4.5 ± 0.3 GPa), flexural strength (296 ± 5.8 MPa), fracture toughness (7.03 ± 0.37 MPa·m1/2), electrical conductivity (1.21 ×10−6 Ohm·m), thermal conductivity (23.86 W/(m·K)), heat capacity (0.78 J/(g·K)) and thermal expansion coefficient (7.33 ×10−6 K−1). Remarkably, the high residual strength, damage tolerance factor (Dt) and fracture toughness to strength ratio (KIC/σf) suggest that Sc2B1.1C3.2 has excellent damage tolerance.