Cermet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cermet is an abbreviation for "'ceramic" and "metal." A CerMet is a composite material composed of ceramic (cer) and metallic (met) materials. A Cermet is ideally designed to have the optimal properties of both a ceramic, such as high temperature resistance and hardness, and those of a metal, such as the ability to undergo plastic deformation. The metal is used as a binder for an oxide, boride, carbide, or alumina. Generally, the metallic elements used are nickel, molybdenum, and cobalt. Depending on the physical structure of the material, cermets can also be metal matrix composites, but cermets are usually less than 20% metal by volume.
It is used in the manufacture of resistors (especially potentiometers), capacitors, and other electronic components which may experience high temperatures.
Some types of cermet are also being considered for use as spacecraft shielding as they resist the high velocity impacts of micrometeoroids and orbital debris much more effectively than more traditional spacecraft materials such as aluminum and other metals.
One application of these materials is their use in vacuum tube coatings which are key to solar hot water systems.
Cermets are also used in dentistry as a material for fillings and prostheses.
Also used in machining on cutting tools.
