Laser Sintering of ZrB2

Preliminary results about laser sintering of zirconium diboride (ZrB₂), a good ultra high-temperature ceramics candidate, are presented. In order to evaluate a suitable sintering method, single pulsed laser and a concentric dual laser system were carried out. Two different ZrB₂ powders having ～15 and ～2 μm particle size were assessed for sintering. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the concentric dual laser sintered layer using ～2 μm particle size of ZrB₂ had relatively smooth surface morphology. X-ray diffraction results confirmed that the sintered layer mainly retained the crystalline phases as the starting powder. In addition, the rapid cooling rate of laser sintering enabled the formation of needle-like nanostructures at the sintered surface.