This computer-generated image shows how atomic scale blending of ceramic materials can distort crystal structures of the blended ceramics during mechanical stretch. It is being tested in Ashfaq Adnan's research. Credit: UT ArlingtonAn engineer at the University of Texas is modifying molecular structures and blending ceramics to create material that would be less brittle but retain the strength of the original ceramic and could be used in power plants and for other applications.

Ashfaq Adnan says that certain engineering structures need to operate at very high temperature. Although metals are very resilient, the challenge with using them at very high temperatures is that they melt, he says. This research could yield ceramics that can withstand both extreme heat and collisions.

Adnan says his team has discovered that by blending different ceramics within the same family, they can gain added strength.