Abstract

HfC-HfB2 composite ceramics were successfully reactively spark plasma sintered with a unique SiB6 additive. The incorporation of the SiB6 not only promotes the densification of HfC (up to ~99%), but also significantly enhances the toughness from 4.3 ± 0.5 MPa m1/2 to 14.2 ± 1.4 MPa m1/2. The flexural strength of the HfC-HfB2 composite ceramics was simultaneously improved to 529 ± 48 MPa, which is about 1.4 times higher than that of HfC. This improvement is attributed to the dense composite microstructure comprising an in-situ formed HfB2 and a solid solution of Si and O in HfC and HfB2 grains.

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