About Us

Since its founding in 1989, MATECH has become recognized as a world class research and development laboratory in the areas of optical, electronic, bio-materials, and high temperature ceramic and composite materials by chemical polymerization methods.  MATECH's primary focus is the commercialization of high temperature and ultra-high-temperature (UHT) ceramic fibers and ceramic matrix composite technologies.

MATECH has developed a family of preceramic polymers for the fabrication of silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride/carbide (SiNC), silicon oxycarbide (SOC), silicon nitride (Si3N4), and hafnium carbide (HfC), all for high temperature structural applications.  All of these ceramic materials have been fabricated in the form of structural ceramic fibers. In addition, ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) can be densified using MATECH's preceramic polymer technology.

“SUPER DENSE” SiC COMPOSITES for HYPERSONIC NOSE TIP APPLICATIONS

Hypersonic nose tips are arguably the most demanding ultra-high-temperature (UHT) applications for materials on a missile. Maintaining shape is essential to the missile’s operation. Highly dense hot-pressed ceramics, such as silicon carbide, afford the lowest oxidation and ablation rates attainable.

Unfortunately, monolithic ceramics have poor thermal shock resistance and low toughness. SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), however, provide high toughness but are notoriously porous. Achieving very high density, high crystallization, and extremely low porosity in SiC-matrix CMCs has been unattainable. Until now.

MATECH’s patented FAST SiC/SiC and C/SiC CMCs can be densified in under 10 minutes to near-net-shape geometries. Highly dense SiC/SiC and C/SiC CMCs with nearly 0% porosity result. High strength capabilities and excellent CMC fracture behavior (fiber “pull-out”) were demonstrated. The unprecedented properties afforded by FAST SiC matrix CMCs opens the door to performance gains for hypersonic leading edge, nose tip, and propulsion applications previously unattainable. In short, the “best of both worlds.”

Other demanding applications for FAST SiC CMCs abound. These include hot section turbine engine components, ceramic armor, high temperature radomes, ballistic protection solutions, heat exchangers, heat shields, exhaust nozzles and combustors, tough ceramic composite cutting tools, wear resistant parts, and semiconductor processing tooling.

FAST SiC/SiC and C/SiC CMCs are a game changing manufacturing technology for high performance composites in hypersonics and defense. Patents include U. S. Patent 10,464,849, issued Nov. 5, 2019, “Fast-Densified Ceramic Matrix Composite and Fabrication Method” and U. S. Patent 10,774,007, issued Sep. 15, 2020, “Fast-Densified Ceramic Matrix Composite.”

BEYOND CARBON-CARBON COMPOSITES:

Carbon-Carbon composites are hardly new. They were first developed for ballistic reentry nose tips in the 1960’s, having been invented in 1958. Their ablation rates are very high at high temperatures and stagnation pressures, despite being the ”best of the best” in high-density carbon-carbon (HDCC) composites. The more common low-density carbon-carbon (LDCC) composites, made today, perform even worse. We need a better solution and there is one.

An extremely low ablation rate hypersonic material already exists that is low-cost, domestic, highly scale-able, and easy to manufacture. It’s called C/ZrOC (pronounced “carbon Zee rock”). With substantial support from the Missile Defense Agency, MATECH brought its Ultra-High-Temperature (UHT) C/ZrOC TPS and Propulsion Variants to pre-qualification status for hypersonic and missile defense applications. These were specifically developed to address critical defense and civilian access-to-space needs of high performance and ease of manufacture. All raw materials are inexpensive, domestically sourced, and mass produced at high volumes (think freight car size deliverables). In short, this C/ZrOC technology isn’t a lab curiosity, but an industrially viable solution immediately ready for commercialization and insertion into state-of-the-art hypersonic missile platforms and other equally demanding applications.