Densification behavior and microstructure development in TiB2 ceramics doped with h-BN

This paper aims to study the impacts of h-BN additive on the microstructural features and sintering behavior of TiB2. For this objective, two different samples of monolithic TiB2 and TiB2-5 wt% h-BN were fabricated using spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique at 1900 degrees C. An external pressure of 40 MPa was exerted to the specimens during the sintering, and they were maintained at the maximum sintering temperature for 7 min. The characterization of as-fabricated ceramics was carried out using thermodynamical investigations, field emission SEM, and X-ray diffractometer. The thermodynamical and XRD studies revealed that the sintering process was non-reactive for both samples. However, introducing h-BN noticeably promoted the sinterability of TiB2 through activating the liquid phase sintering mechanism, and a near-fully dense composite was attained. The fractographical assessment manifested that the intergranular fracture was the dominant type in both monolithic and h-BN doped specimens. Finally, the quantitative image analysis indicated the role of h-BN in refining the microstructure of the doped TiB2 ceramic.