Wiktionary
n. Any of a class of strong refractory ceramics, based on the elements silicon, aluminium, oxygen and nitrogen, that are highly resistant to heat and corrosion.
Wikipedia
SiAlON ceramics are a specialist class of high-temperature refractory materials, with high strength (including at high temperature), good thermal shock resistance and exceptional resistance to wetting or corrosion by molten non-ferrous metals, compared to other refractory materials such as, for example, alumina. A typical use is with handling of molten aluminium. They also are exceptionally corrosion resistant and hence are also used in the chemical industry. Sialons also have high wear resistance, low thermal expansion and good oxidation resistance up to above ~1000 °C. They were invented by Kenneth Henderson Jack in 1984.
Usage examples of "sialon".
The woman stepped out of the access doorway and bent down, pressing a stud on the black sialon satchel.
Her heels tapped as she made her way to a sialon doorway, palmed the lock plate, and entered.
It was in that Rotted sialon box that she gave me direction for my life, a framework with which to deal with the universe.
The lights, detecting movement, flooded the lavatory, shining brilliantly on the white tiles, sialon fixtures, and mirrors.
Itreatic sialon brought top dollar throughout Free Space, and Staffa had even toyed with the idea of starship hulls grown atom by atom of perfect ceramic-harder than the finest alloyed steel and with seven times the compressive and tensile strength.
As he stepped out into the bustling hatch area he wound through stacks of sialon crates, chattering workmen, and snaking cables.
Off-white sialon crates lined the cut-rock walls while security monitors watched protectively over the long bay.