Pressureless ultrafast sintering of near-net-shaped superhard isotropic B4C/rGO composites with Ti-Al additives

Superhard composites of B₄C reinforced with randomly-oriented reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanoplatelets are manufactured by a near-net-shape fabrication route based on three successive steps. Firstly, aqueous colloidal processing is used for the environmentally-friendly preparation of a semi-concentrated multi-component slurry (B₄C as main component, Ti-Al as sintering additive, and rGO as toughening reinforcement), whose suitability for wet shaping is demonstrated by rheological measurements. Secondly, slip casting is used to produce robust green parts with shapes on demand and microstructures free of macro- and micro-defects. And thirdly, pressureless spark-plasma sintering (PSPS) is used for the ultrafast and energy-efficient densification of the green parts with shape retention. Measurements of shrinkage and hardness, as well as the microstructural observations, are used to identify suitable PSPS temperatures leading to obtaining isotropic B₄C/rGO composites that are superhard and almost twice as tough as the monolithic B₄C ceramics.