Download or read book The Physics and Chemistry of Carbides, Nitrides and Borides. Volume 185 written by and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 716 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Carbides, nitrides and borides are families of related refractory materials. Traditionally they have been employed in applications associated with engineering ceramics where either high temperature strength or stability is of primary importance. In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the interesting electrical, thermal and optical properties exhibited by these materials, and the fact that many can be prepared as monolithic ceramics, single crystals and thin films. In practical terms carbides, nitrides and borides offer the prospect of a new generation of semiconductor materials, for example, which can function at very high temperatures in severe environmental conditions.