AlN-induced reinforcement of nano-amorphous B–C–N compound for TiB₂–B₄C ceramic composite

Structural ceramic composite plays an important role in industrial production and safety assurance, whose failure always accompanied by catastrophic consequences. Now, we present a TiB₂–B₄C ceramic composite with interesting mechanical properties reinforced by the nano-amorphous B–C–N compound. In-situ reactive sintering and spark plasma sintering (SPS) were selected as the preparation technology. Meanwhile, AlN provided a nitrogen source and induced the formation of the nano-amorphous phase. We found that the nano-amorphous B–C–N compound mainly concentrated in lamellar grains and second-phase particles among matrix grains, which significantly improve the flexural strength and fracture toughness. Finally, the reinforced mechanism of the nano-amorphous structure induced by AlN was illustrated by a schematic diagram.