A theoretical and experimental investigation on the SHS synthesis of (HfTiCN)-TiB2 high-entropy composite

Abstract

In this work, a fundamental possibility of obtaining a high-entropy ceramic (HfTiCN)-TiB2 composite material by the coupled self-propagating high-temperature synthesis is shown. To search for a stable fixed composition of the HfTiCN compound, the USPEX code was used with the CASTEP interface at 0K. According to the XRD analysis, the obtained SHS product is represented by HfTiCN phase (60 wt%) and TiB2 phase (40 wt%). Based on the results of XRD, elemental analysis, and the heat pattern of combustion of the Hf-Ti-C-N-B powder mixture, a probable mechanism for the formation of the (HfTiCN)-TiB2 composite material during the coupled self-propagating high-temperature synthesis was proposed.