AlMgB14-TiB2 synthesized by a two-step heat-treatment method

Abstract

Superhard materials AlMgB14-xTiB2 disks were synthesized by a two-step heat-treatment method. In the first step, AlMg 6B14-xTiB2 disks were fabricated by uniformly mixed Mg, B, Al powders and different contents Ti powder, and then AlMg 6B14-xTiB2 disks were heated at 850 C for 2 h in closed argon atmosphere. In the second step, AlMg6B 14-xTiB2 disks were sintered at 1050 C for half an hour in vacuum, then target AlMgB14-xTiB2 disks were obtained. The phase, microstructure and superconductivity were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The nano-scale TiB2 particles as the second phase induced by Ti doping are uniformly distributed in the sample matrix. The results reveal that the stepwise synthesis method can produce practical AlMgB14-TiB2 materials. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.