Pressureless sintered high-entropy transition metal diboride ceramics doped with yttrium tetraboride

• Published in: Materials today communications Vol. 39; p. 108939
• Main Authors: Liu, Hu-Lin, Chen, Mingatao, Bao, Wei-Chao, Wu, Yuan-Ting, Xue, Yun-Long
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2024
• Subjects: Creep resistance; High-entropy diborides; Microstructure; Pressureless sintering; Yttrium tetraboride; High-entropy diborides; Creep resistance; Pressureless sintering; Microstructure; Yttrium tetraboride
• ISSN: 2352-4928; 2352-4928
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2024.108939

High entropy diborides (HEBs) are new candidates of ultra-high temperature ceramics. However, it is difficult to obtain dense HEB ceramics via pressureless sintering. In this study, yttrium tetraboride (YB4) was introduced to consolidate (Ti0.25Zr0.25Hf0.25Ta0.25)B2 (4TMB2) ceramics and its effects on the microstructures and mechanical properties were studied. YB4 addition facilitates the densification and grain elongation of 4TMB2 ceramics by forming eutectic liquid phases and eliminating oxide impurities. Relative density of 4TMB2 ceramics containing 5 vol% YB4 reaches to 94.4 % after pressureless sintered at 2000 °C for 3 h. The hardness and toughness determined by indention method are 26.9±1.5 GPa and 5.73±1.65 MPa∙m1/2. This ceramics also exhibit excellent four-point bending creep resistance with the strain rate of 1.48×10−7 s−1 at 1900 °C under 20 MPa. The observed creep behavior is attributed to grain boundary sliding, plastic deformation, grain refinement and enhanced atomic diffusion of Y element, all driven by high-temperature stresses. [Display omitted]