TiB₂ composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering at low temperature

Abstract

TiB 2 composites with 30 wt.% TiC and 10 wt.% Ti, TiB 2 composites with only 30 wt.% TiC, and bulk TiB 2 without any additives were fabricated using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique at a temperature of 1500 °C, respectively. In addition, bulk TiB 2 ceramic was also fabricated at 1800 °C. The differences in densification and mechanical properties between TiB 2 composites and bulk TiB 2 ceramics were systematically investigated. The addition of TiC and Ti reduced the densification temperature from above 1800 to 1500 °C. Compared with the bulk TiB 2 ceramic (with a density of 4.38 g/cm 3 ) sintered at 1800 °C, the TiB 2 composites exhibited enhanced sinterability, decreased grain size, increased strength and toughness, and slightly lower hardness.