Aluminium-based hybrid composites are a new class of advanced materials with the potential of satisfying the demands in engineering applications. This paper describes the effects of carbon addition on the formation and properties of AMC with SiC nanoparticles reinforcement. The composites were produced via mechanical alloying followed by hot pressing. Three forms of carbon, graphite (GR), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and, for the first time, glassy carbon (GC), were used for the hybrid composites manufacturing and compared with tribological properties of Al-SiC composite without carbon addition. GC and CNTs enhanced formation of Al-SiC composite particles and resulted in a homogeneous distribution of reinforcing particles. On the other hand, GR addition altered mechanochemical alloying and did not lead to a proper distribution of nanoparticulate SiC reinforcement. Hot pressing technique led to the reaction between Al and carbon as well as SiC particles and caused the formation of Al₄C₃ and γ-Al₂O₃. The subsistence of carbon particles in the composites altered the predominant wear mechanisms since the wear reduction and the stabilization of the friction coefficient were observed. GC with simultaneous γ-Al₂O₃ formation in the hybrid Al-SiC(n)-C composites turned out to be the most effective additive in terms of their tribological behaviour.

The phosphor powders of Ca_(m/2)−xEu_xSi_12−(m+n)Al_m+nO_nN_16−n (m = 1.6, n = 0.8, x in the range of 0–0.08) were synthesized by means of a solid state reaction in flowing nitrogen in a carbon resistant furnace and the influence of Eu concentration on the crystal structure and photoluminescent properties was thoroughly studied. The optical properties of selected α-sialon:Eu²⁺ samples at temperatures in the range of 10 to 500 K and pressures up to 240 kbar are presented. The crystal lattice parameters were affected by doping with europium and some increase of the unit cell volume was observed up to 6 mol % of Eu. The higher concentration of europium led to subtle changes in the overall structure of the produced sialon phosphors. It was shown that the chemical composition of Ca, Eu-α-sialon phosphor was slightly different from the designed one and the phosphor powders were contaminated by AlN. The phosphor particle surface showed significant europium and oxygen enrichment with Eu³⁺ but below the thin surface layer Eu²⁺ was dominant and higher nitrogen content was observed. After examination of absorption, excitation, and emission spectra it was found that the emission peak position shifted toward longer wavelengths with rising Eu²⁺ concentration from 565 nm (0.1 mol % Eu²⁺) to 585 nm (10 mol % Eu²⁺). The quantum yield of the phosphors reached the maximum at a rather low concentration of 4 mol % of Eu. Excitation spectra depend on the monitored wavelength which is typical for multisite Eu²⁺. The existence of many Eu²⁺ sites in the sample was supported by the dependence of the decay time on the monitored wavelength.