Established in June 2004, the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials (CoE-SM) is a research network which enables researchers to collaborate across disciplines and institutions, both locally and abroad. The CoE-SM is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the National Research Foundation (NRF). The CoE-SM has been undertaking research at seven South African universities and two Science Councils, and is hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). These include The University of the Witwatersrand, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan and Rhodes Universities, and the Universities of Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Stellenbosch as well as the Science Councils, Mintek and the National Energy Corporation of South Africa (NECSA).The CoE-SM focuses research on a wide range of strong materials, where the various institutions have specific expertise. Strong Materials are materials which retain their distinctive properties under extreme conditions and have established or potential commercial applications. They are necessary in many components and make a strong contribution to the economy of South Africa.The current Focus Area groups within the CoE-SM are:•Carbides and Cermets: Manufacturing, testing and characterisation of mainly WC, VC, CrC and TiC sintered alloys and coatings.•Carbon Nanotubes and Strong Composites: Carbon nanotubes (among the strongest and stiffest structures ever made) are being studied for potential chemical and mechanical applications. •Ceramic Materials: Multi-component, ultrahard-phase (Diamond, Cubic Boron Nitride and others) containing composites for cutting tools and wear parts. •Diamond, Thin Hard Films and Related Materials: Laser-based methods are used to measure stresses, elastic and structural properties, and to study defects in materials. Developments and studies using diamond include radiation detectors and radiation damage effects. •New Ultrahard Materials: Computational and experimental investigations of potentially new ultrahard materials including advanced borides, carbides, nitrides and oxides. •Strong Metallic Alloys: Development of new alloys, property studies of metals, structure-property relationships and phase diagrams. Alloys include: superalloys, steels and titanium.

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