A new class of promising ceramics based on amorphous inorganic networks

Inorganic random networks consisting of covalently bonded nonmetals, such as boron, silicon, nitrogen and carbon, exhibit outstanding chemical and mechanical properties and therefore suggest themselves for applications under extreme conditions. Surprisingly, due to their thermal stability and resistance to oxidation, some of these novel amorphous materials can compete, or even surpass, crystalline phases that exist in the same systems.