World’s most heat resistant material

World's most heat resistant material

Question: Name the material which is found to be having highest ever recorded melting point for a material by the Researchers from Imperial College London, U.K.
(a)Hafnium carbide
(b)Silicon carbide
(c)Calcium carbide
(d)Tantalum carbide (TaC)
Ans: (a)
Related facts:

  • Recently Researchers from Imperial College London in the UK discovered that the melting point of hafnium carbide is the highest ever recorded for a material.
  • It can withstand temperatures of nearly 4,000 degrees Celsius.
  • Tantalum carbide (TaC) and hafnium carbide (HfC) are refractory ceramics, meaning they are extraordinarily resistant to heat.
  • There has not been the technology available to test the melting point of TaC and HfC in the lab to determine how truly extreme an environment they could function in.
  • The researchers developed a new extreme heating technique using lasers to test the heat tolerance of TaC and HfC.
  • The compound TaC melted at 3,768 degrees Celsius, and HfC melted at 3,958 degrees Celsius.
  • The recent finding may pave the way for the next generation of hypersonic vehicles, meaning spacecraft could become faster than ever.

Reference:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/worlds-most-heat-resistant-material-found/articleshow/56167238.cms
http://www.businessinsider.in/The-sun-is-one-of-the-few-things-that-could-melt-this-newly-discovered-super-material/articleshow/48297938.cms