Saphikon fiber

K. K. Chawla, H. Liu, J. Janczak-Rusch, and S. Sambasivan, Microstmcture and properties of monazite (LaP04) coated saphikon fiber/alumina matrix composites, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 20 551—559 (2000). 

Saphikon (www.saphikon.com) gives current examples of using alumina fibers in medicine. 

Saphikon Saphikon 100% AI2O3 3.96 single-crystal a-Al203 125 mono filament edge defined film- fed growth 470 3.5 9 developmental fibers... 

In summary, continuous sapphire fibers are commercially available, and new YAG fibers are readily achieved with the Saphikon process, or the LHPG process (see Chapter 6), or else by the new containerless laser melt process (Chapter 4). Currently however, there is only one route known, i.e., HP-LCVD, that might eventually be capable of yielding continuous, single crystal fibers such as SiC or titanium carbide fibers. A single crystal SiC fiber by LCVD has... 

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