Hafnium carbide (HfC) exhibits high thermodynamic stability with a melting point of~3900ºC, high hardness and Young’s modulus,as well as good thermomechanical and thermochemical properties[1-3].Therefore, it is considered as apromisingmaterialforapplicationsofhigh-temperatureelectrodes,cuttingtools,rocket nozzles, nuclear reactor rods, space/air craft and thermal-field emitters[4-7].Nevertheless, HfC exhibits a low fracture toughness (1.73-3.40MPa m1/2), which canlimit its structural applications in extremeenvironments[2, 8-9].An effective way toenhance the fracture toughness of HfC is to incorporate secondary phase materials,such as silicon carbide (SiC)rods, BN, SiC ceramics, refractory metal (Tungsten) toform cermets and other high-temperature carbides, as attempted in some previousstudies.
