[arijon]

If you are interested, read up on SiC, Silicon Carbide. It is better then Gallium Nitride and Silicon for high voltage power small electronics because it has higher thermal conductivity. I randomly learned about it when I was fixing my cars breaks, apparently that is the material that is used :)

[blacksmith_tb]

It can also be quite pretty: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moissanite

[ribs]

Difficult to machine, though, I'd expect, being among the hardest of all known substances (the moissanite polymorph being just a bit softer than diamond, at a Mohs scale hardness of 9.5.)

[Florin_Andrei]

> I randomly learned about it when I was fixing my cars breaks, apparently that is the material that is used :)

What is it used for?

I'm familiar with SiC in the form of grit (grinding agent, looks like fine-grained sand) when I'm making telescope optics. It's extremely hard, and it grinds glass better than anything except diamond.

[arijon]

The disk break...I guess because it has high thermal resistance. You make telescope optics? For fun or work? or both?

[Florin_Andrei]

Just a hobby at the moment. Working on a 300 mm mirror right now.

[arijon]

That awesome dude. I got into amateur astronomy about two years ago when I first moved to the bay area from new york. I just purchased a celestron nextstar 4SE can't wait to test it out.

[madengr]

GaN is grown on SiC; best of both.

[arijon]

ahh I didn't know that.