Refractory interphase and its role on the mechanical properties of boron containing nacre-like ceramic

Abstract Bioinspired ceramics based on the nacreous part of the mother-of-pearl microstructure have been developed in recent years to produce materials with high mechanical performance. Although significant advances in terms of simplicity and scalability of the synthesis process have been achieved, the reasons behind the improvement of the mechanical properties remains to be pinpointed. Recently, the development of boron containing nacre-like refractories have offered new insights into the relationship between the interphase composition and the performance increase of nacre-like materials. Based on those achievements, this paper presents a multiscale analysis to evaluate the role of the refractory interphase on the mechanical properties of the nacre-like refractories. The results demonstrate the presence of increased residual stresses and adhesion between the alumina platelets induced by the aluminium borate second phase when compared to composition without secondary phase. These new findings provide additional information towards a better design and fabrication of high-performance nacre-like refractories.