Abstract
In the first stage of the Synergy Ceramics project, our research group has successfully fabricated a textured silicon nitride where most of the elongated grains are uni-directionally aligned, and has revealed that the material exhibits both high strength and high fracture toughness. The objective of this study is to improve the wear resistance of the uni-directionally aligned silicon nitride (UA-SN), while retaining the bulk properties, by means of ion implantation, and to clarify the effect of ion implantation on the tribological properties of UA-SN. The ion implanted UA-SN showed a dramatic improvement in wear resistance and the obtained tribological properties will be discussed in relation to the ion implantation conditions and the nano-structural change of the ion-implanted layer, as assessed by surface analytical studies. Research supported by METI, Japan, under the Synergy Ceramics Project, part of the work supported by NEDO.
