Overview of structural, electronic, elastic, thermal, optical, and nuclear properties of ZrAC (A= Al, Si, P, S, Ge, As, Se In, Sn, Tl, and Pb) MAX phases: A brief review.

The ZrAC MAX phases are a family of ternary carbides ceramics that possess layered structures and exhibiting exceptional properties resulting from combining the most desirable features of metals and ceramics. In addition, the ZrAC MAX-phases exhibit numerous physical and chemical properties due to their chemical and structural characteristics, a tendency for multiple basal dislocations and exhibiting mobility under ambient conditions. This review extensively analyzes the properties of the ZrAC MAX phase, as they are closely linked to the exceptional and potential applications of the MAX phase.

Synthesis of a novel antiweathering nanocomposite superhydrophobic room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicon rubber enhanced with nanosilica for coating high voltage insulators.

A new nanocomposite superhydrophobic of the RTV (room temperature vulcanized) silicon rubber reinforced with a different percentage of nanosilica was prepared by a two-stage sol-gel route to obtain a superhydrophobic surface coating on high voltage glass insulator, preventing the dust-water droplet from adhering to its surface. The cold spraying technique was utilized to build up a thin nanocomposite superhydrophobic layer on the glass insulator containing different percentages of the nanosilica particles, such as 23 wt %, 33 wt %, and 44 wt % with RTV silicon substrate. The synthesized nanocomposite was analyzed using the contact angle, roughness, adhesion, hardness, and dielectric strength tests.