Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

A review of ceramic-reinforced nickel-based superalloys: processing, properties, and applications

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-5-2026

Abstract

Nickel (Ni) is widely recognized as an essential metal due to its unique mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and thermal stability, which make this metal suitable for a wide range of applications like electrochemistry, catalysis, and energy systems. Ni-based superalloys are extensively used in aerospace, power generation, and defense industries owing to their superior mechanical properties and excellent resistance to extreme temperatures, high mechanical stresses, and corrosive environments. Ceramics represent another important class of materials characterized by high hardness, chemical inertness, wear resistance, and thermal stability, enabling their use in structural, electronic, and biomedical applications. Ceramic reinforcement can significantly improve hardness, wear resistance, high-temperature strength, and creep resistance; however, porosity, particle agglomeration, and undesirable interfacial reactions may adversely affect performance. The reviewed literature demonstrates that composite performance is governed mainly by reinforcement type, fraction, defect formation, particle dispersion, grain refinement, and processing-induced microstructural changes. These improvements expand the potential of ceramic-reinforced Ni-based superalloy MMCs in demanding applications such as gas-turbine components, nuclear systems, petrochemical equipment, and other high-temperature and corrosion-resistant structural components. The review identifies improved reinforcement dispersion, interface control, process optimization, and systematic evaluation under realistic service conditions as key priorities for the future development of ceramic-reinforced Ni-based superalloy MMCs. This review critically analyzes the relationships among processing methods, microstructural evolution, strengthening mechanisms, ceramic reinforcement types, and the resulting mechanical and functional properties of these composites. Particular attention is given to solid-, liquid-, and fusion-state manufacturing methods, and electrochemical processing routes, together with carbide, oxide, nitride, and boride reinforcements.

Comments

© 2026 Published by Elsevier B.V. Not open access.

Publication Title

Journal of Alloys and Compounds

DOI

10.1016/j.jallcom.2026.191712

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