Patent ID: 8679651

Claim:
An article formed by the process of: coating a polymer foam structure with a slurry comprising a plurality of particles comprising a first material having a phase change temperature; heating the coated polymer foam structure to a first temperature that is less than the phase change temperature and for a first period of time that is sufficient to sinter the plurality of particles comprising the first material into a monolithic foam; infiltrating the monolithic foam with a plurality of particles comprising a second material having a melting point greater than the phase change temperature; and heating the infiltrated monolithic foam to a second temperature that is less than the phase change temperature and for a second period of time that is sufficient to sinter the plurality of particles comprising the second material and simultaneously applying a pressure to the infiltrated monolithic foam sufficient to form a monolithic article, wherein the first and second materials are present only as sintered particles, wherein the first material comprises B 4 C, and the second material comprises TaC and Ta 2 C.