Combustion Synthesis of UHTC Composites from Ti–B4C Solid State Reaction with Addition of VIb Transition Metals

Abstract

UHTC composites were prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) from the Ti–B4C reaction system with addition of Cr, Mo, and W. The starting sample composition was formulated as (3−x)Ti + B4C + xMe with x = 0.1–1.0 and Me = Cr, Mo, or W. For all samples conducted in this study, self-sustaining combustion was well established and propagated with a distinct reaction front. With no addition of Cr, Mo, or W, solid state combustion of the 3Ti + B4C sample featuring a combustion front temperature (Tc) of 1766 °C and a combustion wave velocity (Vf) of 16.5 mm/s was highly exothermic and produced an in situ composite of 2TiB2 + TiC. When Cr, Mo, or W was adopted to replace a portion of Ti, the reaction exothermicity was lowered, and hence, a significant decrease in Tc (from 1720 to 1390 °C) and Vf (from 16.1 to 3.9 mm/s) was observed. With addition of Cr, Mo, and W, the final products were CrB-, MoB-, and WB-added TiB2–TiC composites. The absence of CrB2, MoB2, and WB2 was attributed partly to the loss of boron from thermal decomposition of B4C and partly to lack of sufficient reaction time inherent to the SHS process.