A cubic boron nitride sintered material includes cubic boron nitride and a binder. The binder includes a first material and a second material. The first material is one or two or more first chemical species each including at least one first metallic element selected from the group consisting of tungsten, cobalt, and aluminum. Each of the first chemical species is a metal, an alloy, an intermetallic compound, a compound, or a solid solution. The second material is one or two or more second chemical species each including at least one second metallic element selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, and chromium. Each of the second chemical species is a solid solution derived from at least one selected from the group consisting of nitride, carbide, and carbonitride. In each of the second chemical species, 0.1 atom % to 10 atom % of aluminum is dissolved.

This disclosure relates to a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, PCBN, material that includes a binder matrix material containing nitride compounds. The nitride compounds are selected from HfN, VN, and/or NbN.

An aluminum-based composite material includes a plurality of coarse crystalline grains (3) of pure aluminum, and a plurality of fine crystalline grains (4) each having an aluminum matrix (1), and a dispersion material (2) dispersed inside the aluminum matrix and formed by reacting a portion or all of an additive with aluminum in the aluminum matrix. The fine crystalline grains exist among the coarse crystalline grains, and the fine crystalline grains have crystalline grain diameters smaller than crystalline grain diameters of the coarse crystalline grains.

A superhard polycrystalline construction comprises a body of polycrystalline superhard material comprising a superhard phase, and a second phase dispersed in the superhard phase, the superhard phase comprising a plurality of inter-bonded superhard grains. The second phase comprises particles or grains that do not chemically react with the superhard grains, and/or do not inter-grow, and form between around 1 to 30 volume % or wt % of the body of polycrystalline superhard material.

A method of forming a super hard polycrystalline construction comprises forming a liquid suspension of a first mass of nano-ceramic particles and a mass of particles or grains of super hard material having an average particle or grain size of 1 or more microns, dispersing the particles or grains in the liquid suspension to form a substantially homogeneous suspension, drying the suspension to form an admix of the nano-ceramic and super hard grains or particles, and forming a pre-sinter assembly comprising the admix. The pre-sinter assembly is then sintered to form a body of polycrystalline super hard material comprising a first fraction of super hard grains and a second fraction, the nano-ceramic particles forming the second fraction.

The super hard grains are spaced along at least a portion of the peripheral surface by one or more nano-ceramic grains, the super hard grains having a greater average grain size than that of the grains in the second fraction which have an average size of less than around 999 nm.

A method of forming a super hard polycrystalline construction comprises forming a liquid suspension of nano-sized super hard particles and particles of super hard material having an average particle or grain size of 1 or more microns, dispersing the particles in the liquid suspension to form a substantially homogeneous suspension which is then dried and sintered to form a body of polycrystalline super hard material comprising a first and second fractions of super hard grains, the nano-sized particles forming the second fraction. The super hard grains in the first fraction are bonded along at least a portion of the peripheral surface(s) thereof to at least a portion of a plurality of nano-sized grains in the second fraction, the grains in the first fraction having a greater average grain size than that of the grains in the second fraction which is less than 999 nm, the average grain size of the first fraction being around 1 micron or more

Methods of forming composite particles include forming a source material over a plurality of nucleation cores and forming a catalyst material over the source material. Compositions of matter include a plurality of composite particles, each particle of the plurality comprising a plurality of nucleation cores, a source material disposed over the nucleation cores, and a catalyst material disposed over the source material. Methods of forming earth-boring tools include forming a plurality of composite particles, combining the plurality of composite particles with a plurality of grains of hard material, and catalyzing the formation of inter-granular bonds between the composite particles and the grains of hard material to faun a polycrystalline material. The plurality of in situ nucleated grains of hard material and the plurality of grains of hard material may be interspersed and inter-bonded.

Polycrystalline diamond compacts having parting compound within the interstitial volumes are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a polycrystalline diamond compact includes a polycrystalline diamond body having a plurality of diamond grains bonded together in diamond-to-diamond bonds, interstitial volumes positioned between the adjacent diamond grains, and a parting compound positioned in at least a portion of the interstitial volumes of the polycrystalline diamond body.

A cubic boron nitride sintered material comprises 30% by volume or more and 99.9% by volume or less of cubic boron nitride grains and 0.1% by volume or more and 70% by volume or less of a binder phase, the cubic boron nitride grain having a carbon content of 0.08% by mass or less, the cubic boron nitride sintered material being free of free carbon.

A cubic boron nitride sintered material comprises 30% by volume or more and 99.9% by volume or less of cubic boron nitride grains and 0.1% by volume or more and 70% by volume or less of a binder phase, the cubic boron nitride grain having a carbon content of 0.08% by mass or less, the cubic boron nitride sintered material being free of free carbon.