NIC "Kurchatov Institute" – VIAM has developed a new ceramic material for spark plugs used in aviation and automotive engines. This is a mixture of two components – silicon nitride and silicon carbide. When sintered in a nitrogen environment under pressure and at a temperature of about 1480 °C, the particles form a strong structure, and a protective film appears on their surface. It protects the material from overheating, destruction, and fuel exposure.
The density of the ceramic is 2.20–2.30 g/cm³, water absorption is 10–15%. Thanks to these properties, spark plugs with such ceramics operate stably even in the harshest conditions.
The technology includes three-stage pressing and final air treatment. As the authors note, the development allows obtaining parts with optimal characteristics for engines operating at high temperatures. Such ceramics are in demand in aviation and automotive industries.
Ceramic Materials for Aviation: What Has Already Been Done
The VIAM development is not the first time Russian scientists have offered ceramic solutions for aircraft engines. We have already reported on how scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University created high-entropy coatings based on hafnium and zirconium carbides, capable of withstanding up to 1100 °C and resistant to oxidation. At the same time, TPU specialists developed a new method for synthesizing ceramic composites with adjustable properties – with an eye to application in the aerospace and transport industries.
In parallel, Skoltech presented heat-resistant ceramics based on Ba₂YNbO₆ perovskite, designed for temperatures up to 2000 °C – for thermal barrier coatings of gas turbines. In this context, the VIAM development based on silicon nitride and silicon carbide occupies a more applied niche: the material is oriented not towards turbine blades, but towards ignition system elements, where fuel resistance and stability in harsh thermal conditions are critical.
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