Effects of excess boron on combustion synthesis of alumina–tantalum boride composites

TaB- and TaB₂–Al₂O₃ in situ composites were fabricated by thermite-incorporated combustion synthesis from the powder mixtures of different combinations, including Ta₂O₅–Al–B, Ta₂O₅–Al–B₂O₃–B, and Ta₂O₅–B₂O₃–Al. Effects of excess boron were studied on the combustion dynamics and phase constituents of final products. For the B₂O₃-containing samples, the reaction was less exothermic and aluminothermic reduction of Ta₂O₅ and B₂O₃ was less complete, resulting in the deficiency of boron and the presence of TaO₂ and Ta. For the samples containing elemental boron, the occurrence of borothermic reduction of Ta₂O₅ also caused the loss of boron. Experimental evidence showed that boron in excess of the stoichiometric amount substantially enhanced the formation of tantalum borides, which in turn facilitated the reduction of Ta₂O₅ by Al. Consequently, the samples rich with boron in the molar proportions of Ta₂O₅:Al:B=3:10:9 and 3:10:16 (i.e., B/Ta=1.5 and 2.67) were found to be the optimum stoichiometries of producing TaB- and TaB₂–Al₂O₃ composites through a self-sustaining combustion process.     

Mechanical properties and grain orientation evolution of zirconium diboride-zirconium carbide ceramics

The effect of ZrC on the mechanical response of ZrB₂ ceramics has been evaluated from room temperature to 2000 °C. Zirconium diboride ceramics containing 10 vol% ZrC had higher strengths at all temperatures compared to previous reports for nominally pure ZrB₂. The addition of ZrC also increased fracture toughness from $～3\text{.5}\text{MPa}\sqrt{\text{m}}$ for nominally pure ZrB₂ to $～4\text{.3}\text{MPa}\sqrt{\text{m}}$ due to residual thermal stresses. The toughness was comparable with ZrB₂ up to 1600 °C, but increased to $4\text{.6}\text{MPa}\sqrt{\text{m}}$ at 1800 °C and 2000 °C. The increased toughness above 1600 °C was attributed to plasticity in the ZrC at elevated temperatures. Electron back-scattered diffraction analysis showed strong orientation of the ZrC grains along the [001] direction in the tensile region of specimens tested at 2000 °C, a phenomenon that has not been observed previously for fast fracture (crosshead displacement rate = 4.0 mm min^?1) in four point bending. It is believed that microstructural changes and plasticity at elevated temperature were the mechanisms behind the ultrafast reorientation of ZrC.     

Superhard materials based on nanostructured high-melting point compounds: achievements and perspectives

Information on the hardness of some nanostructured nitride and boride films and bulks is generalized and discussed in detail. Special attention is focused on the possibility to obtain new types of superhard materials (SMs) based on nanostructured high-melting point compounds. Thermal stability and degradation problems are also considered.     

Processing and properties of reactively densified TiB2-AlN-hBN conductive ceramics with tunable compositions

Reactive sintering has been widely utilized to densify ceramics. Although the technology has numerous advantages, the composition of as-sintered ceramics is hard to be adjusted unless additional products are added. In this work, a novel solid-state route based on the reactions among TiN, Al and B were proposed to consolidate TiB₂-AlN-hBN ceramics (TAB) with tunable compositions (hBN ≤ 42 vol%, AlN ≤ 45 vol%). Dense TAB with high relative density, refined grain size and homogeneous microstructure were obtained via spark plasma sintering at 1800 °C and 60 MPa. It was found that exothermic reactions between the reactants could be ignited during heating, and the order of temperature at which the combustion process occurred was just opposite to the sequence of adiabatic temperature for individual reactions. Effects of hBN and AlN amounts on the densification, microstructure, mechanical properties, machinability and electrical resistivity of as-sintered ceramics were comprehensively investigated. Compared to AlN, hBN content played a more obvious role on those properties. As hBN contents increased from 0 to 42 vol%, the flexural strength, fracture toughness, Vickers hardness and modulus of TAB continuously decreased. TAB with hBN amounts ≥ 13 vol% exhibited better machinability with surface roughness lower than 2.9 µm after machining. Nevertheless, their electrical resistivity values at room temperature fluctuated in a narrow range between 43 μΩ·cm and 83 μΩ·cm, irrelevant with the hBN amounts.     

Optical properties of dense zirconium and tantalum diborides for solar thermal absorbers

Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) are interesting materials for a large variety of applications under extreme conditions. This paper reports on the production and extensive characterization of highly dense, pure zirconium and tantalum diborides, with particular interest to their potential utilization in the thermal solar energy field. Monolithic bulk samples are produced by Spark Plasma Sintering starting from elemental reactants or using metal diboride powders previously synthesized by Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis (SHS). Microstructural and optical properties of products obtained by the two processing methods have been comparatively evaluated. We found that pure diborides show a good spectral selectivity, which is an appealing characteristic for solar absorber applications. No, or very small, differences in the optical properties have been evidenced when the two investigated processes adopted for the fabrication of dense TaB₂ and ZrB₂, respectively, are compared.     

原位合成多元硼化物对Al0.5CoCrCuFeNiBx高熵合金硬度与耐磨性能的影响

本文研究了Al0.5CoCrCuFeNiBx (x=0-1)的组织、相组成、硬度及耐磨性能。并预测了Al0.5CoCrCuFeNiBx (x=0-1)中简单固溶体形成规律。未添加硼元素的合金具有简单FCC固溶体结构。添加硼元素后,合金由简单FCC固溶体及多元硼化物组成。硼以硼化物形式析出,没有固溶到FCC固溶体中,因而添加硼对FCC固溶体的晶格常数无影响。硼化物的析出使合金的硬度提高,并且硬度随着硼含量的增加而呈线性增加。当硼含量x?0.4时,合多的磨耗阻变化不明显,但当硼含量x?0.6时,合金的磨耗阻抗随着硼含量增加而呈线性增加。 随着硼含量的增加,合金的磨损机制由粘着磨损转变为氧化磨损。合金硬度与耐磨性能的提高是高硬度的粗大硼化物与韧性的FCC固溶体基体共同作用的结果。     

Formation and kinetics of FeB/Fe2B layers and diffusion zone at the surface of AISI 316 borided steels

The kinetics of the FeB/Fe₂B layers and diffusion zone at the surface of AISI 316 steels exposed to the powder-pack boriding process were studied in this work. FeB/Fe₂B layers and diffusion zone measurements were taken at different temperatures and exposure times to validate diffusion-controlled growth during the boriding process. In order to obtain the boron diffusion coefficients at the FeB/Fe₂B layers and diffusion zone, a mathematical model based on the mass balance at the growing interfaces was proposed. The activation energy values estimated for the FeB and Fe₂B layers were 204 and 198 kJ mol^− 1 respectively. In addition, the activation energy value obtained for the diffusion zone was 116 kJ mol^− 1. The diffusion model was extended to estimate the FeB/Fe₂B layer thicknesses, and the depth of the diffusion zone at the temperature of 1243 K with 3 and 5 h of exposure, based on the experimental parameters ascribed to the boriding process. Finally, the effects of the FeB/Fe₂B growth and diffusion zone, on the weight gain of borided steels and on the instantaneous velocity of the interfaces were incorporated in the model.     

含硼316不锈钢的热处理研究

为了进一步改善含硼316不锈钢的力学性能和扩大应用范围,本文借助于OM、SEM、XRD、硬度计和力学性能试验机等手段对热处理后的含硼316不锈钢的显微组织、硬度、冲击韧性和抗压强度进行了分析和研究。试验结果表明,对于含硼316不锈钢,较适合的热处理制度为：980℃固溶4 h,水冷和400℃回火6 h,空冷。经处理后,硬度提高了15%,冲击韧性提高了110%,抗压强度提高了19%。其原因是晶界上的非平衡偏聚的网状硼化物出现断网,同时基体上析出了大量的二次硼化物。     

硼化物陶瓷及其复合材料的研究进展

介绍了三种硼化物CrB2,ZrB2和TiB2及其与Al2O3形成的复合材料的结构性能、制备方法及其应用,并对其发展前景进行了展望.     

Effect of substrate rotation on structure, hardness and adhesion of magnetron sputtered TiB2 coating on high speed steel

Titanium diboride (TiB₂) coatings have been deposited on stationary and rotating high speed steel substrates by magnetron sputtering of a TiB₂ target. The structure and hardness of the coatings and the coating–substrate adhesion have been investigated by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, nanoindentation and microscratch tests. The results show that substrate rotation has a significant effect on these structural and properties features. It was found that, with substrate rotation, the TiB₂ coating exhibits a columnar structure with random orientation and relatively low hardness and coating–substrate adhesion. On the other hand, without substrate rotation, the TiB₂ coating shows a strong (001) texture with dense, equiaxed grain structure. The hardness and coating–substrate adhesion of the coatings deposited on stationary substrates are much higher than those deposited on rotating substrates. The observed phenomena are discussed in terms of the energy of the sputtered flux, which varies with the substrate–target distance during deposition.