Joint breakthrough in coating could speed up flight

Chinese and British scientists have developed a new kind of ceramic coating for use on hypersonic aircraft that is "vastly superior" to other materials, potentially improving the performance and durability of high-velocity planes and rockets.

Researchers at China's Central South University and the United Kingdom's University of Manchester found the coating made of carbide, a compound composed of carbon, was 12 times better at withstanding temperatures of up to 3,000 C than standard ultra-high-temperature ceramics.

The material is being studied at the University of Manchester's School of Materials and manufactured at CSU's Powder Metallurgy Institute.