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Cited by 1,208

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 37 of the 37 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The search for novel, superhard materials

Vepřek, Stan·1999·Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films

Abstract

The recent development in the field of superhard materials with Vickers hardness of ⩾40 GPa is reviewed. Two basic approaches are outlined including the intrinsic superhard materials, such as diamond, cubic boron nitride, C3N4, carbonitrides, etc. and extrinsic, nanostructured materials for which superhardness is achieved by an appropriate design of their microstructure. The theoretically predicted high hardness of C3N4 has not been experimentally documented so far. Ceramics made of cubic boron nitride prepared at high pressure and temperature find many applications whereas thin films prepared by activated deposition from the gas phase are still in the stage of fundamental development. The greatest progress has been achieved in the field of nanostructured materials including superlattices and nanocomposites where superhardness of ⩾50 GPa was reported for several systems. More recently, nc-TiN/SiNx nanocomposites with hardness of 105 GPa were prepared, reaching the hardness of diamond. The principles of design for these materials are summarized and some unresolved questions outlined.

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Metadata

Authors
Vepřek, S.
Venue
Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films
Published
1999-09-01
Volume
17
Issue
5
Pages
2401-2420
ISSN
  • 0734-2101 (ISSN-L)
  • 1520-8559
OpenAlex
W2153703866
Cited by
1,208
References
37
FWCI
33.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: The search for novel, superhard materials. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1116/1.581977
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Vepřek, S. (1999). The search for novel, superhard materials. Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.581977

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