Patent ID: 7736582

Claim:
A method of forming an article, said method comprising: providing a plurality of core particles comprised of one core particle material, or a plurality of different core particle materials, said core particle material being selected from the group consisting of: metal and metalloid nitrides, metal and metalloid carbides, metal and metalloid carbonitrides, metal and metalloid borides, metal and metalloid oxides, metal and metalloid sulfides, metal and metalloid silicides, and diamond; applying an intermediate layer on a majority of said core particles by depositing atoms on the surface of the core particles in an amount ranging of from 10% to 80% by weight of said article, said intermediate layer comprising a second compound, different in composition from said core particle material and having a higher relative fracture toughness, said second compound being capable of bonding with said core particle material and being capable of bonding with a metal selected from the group consisting of: iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, titanium, aluminum, magnesium, lithium, beryllium, silver, gold, platinum and their mixtures, thereby forming coated particles; applying an outer layer to said coated particles by depositing atoms on the outer surface of said intermediate layer, wherein said atoms comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of: iron, cobalt, nickel, and their mixtures to form a substantially continuous outer layer on said intermediate layer, thereby forming component particles; shaping a plurality of said component particles into an article; sintering said article at a temperature sufficient to liquefy at least a portion of said outer layer, and for a time sufficient to dissolve a portion of said intermediate layer in the liquid formed from said outer layer to provide an effective amount of liquid to achieve substantially full density, wherein the sintering temperature ranges from 600° C. to 1700° C. and the amount of liquid phase comprised of the outer layer, the intermediate layer, or both is in the range of from 6 to 44% by volume of the volume of component particles, not including the core particle volume, and wherein said sintering leaves a portion of said intermediate layer undissolved; and solidifying liquids formed from said outer layer and said intermediate layer such that said atoms deposited to form said intermediate layer re-precipitate into a matrix outside said undissolved portion of the intermediate layer, wherein said matrix comprises discrete crystals of said intermediate layer in a binder of said outer layer, wherein said liquids formed from said outer layer and said intermediate layer are solidified prior to chemical interaction of the liquids with the core particles.