| abstract |
A wear-, erosion- and chemically-resistant material containing tungsten alloyed with carbon, the carbon being present in an amount of 0.01 wt% up to 0.97 wt% of the total weight, wherein the material preferably comprises a matrix of metallic tungsten with dispersed tungsten carbide nanoparticles having a particle size not greater than 50 nanometres, preferably not greater than 10 nanometres. The material is optionally also alloyed with fluorine, the fluorine being present in an amount of 0.01 wt% up to 0.4 wt% of the total weight. The material is extremely hard and tough. |