NANONOXCERA

CTTC is involved in various collaborative projects, and NANONOXCERA is one of them.

MORE EFFICIENT BORON CARBIDE BALLISTIC PROTECTIONS

Defense

NANONOXCERA was a project funded by the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) in partnership with the Directorate General for Enterprise (DGE). Its objective was to develop more efficient and lighter boron carbide-based ballistic protection products.

Objectives: To develop an industrial manufacturing process for boron carbide (B4C) armor ceramics using submicronic and even nanometric powders and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) technology. The project also aimed to establish a complete French industrial chain—from powder synthesis to ceramic part production—exploiting SPS technology for the first time.

Innovations: Large-scale production of ultra-fine B4C powders, microstructure control of boron carbide to enhance its functional properties, SPS sintering of large B4C parts, and ultimately, the creation of a high-performance armor ceramic (offering a high ballistic performance-to-weight ratio).

Military and civilian applications: High-end personal ballistic protection for military and civilian sectors, enhanced aircraft protection using a lightweight material, and extension to neutron barrier applications for the nuclear industry.

Project duration: 2014–2017
Budget: €900,000
Collaboration: CTTC, Marion Technologies, IRCER

Results

Thanks to this project, CTTC gained expertise in the sintering conditions of boron carbide using SPS, the shaping of medium-sized cylindrical or hexagonal parts (60 mm diameter), and the performance of the resulting materials compared to ballistic market products.