Recently, Professor Ran Songlin's team from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Anhui University of Technology published their latest research results on structural and functional integrated multiphase ceramics in international journals such as Journal of Advanced Ceramics and Journal of the American Ceramic Society.



It is reported that boron carbide (B4C) ceramics have excellent properties such as high melting point, low density, strong chemical stability and good wear resistance, and are widely used in wear resistance, armor protection and other fields. Introducing the second phase titanium borohydride (TiB2) into the boron carbide matrix to form B4C-TiB2 multiphase ceramics can not only effectively improve the mechanical properties of boron carbide ceramics, but also significantly reduce the resistivity of the multiphase ceramics, achieving structural and functional integration. However, due to the higher specific gravity and lower intrinsic hardness of titanium borate compared to boron carbide, the addition of titanium borate also increases the material's specific gravity and reduces its hardness.



After a series of studies, Ran Songlin's team found that reducing the proportion of titanium boride in B4C-TiB2 multiphase ceramics, on the premise of ensuring high density and good electrical conductivity, can further meet the needs of industrial and military fields for ultra light and superhard material. The team designed and prepared an ultra-light, superhard, and conductive B4C-TiB2 multiphase ceramic with low titanium borate content through a chemical reaction synergistic matrix grain selective absorption growth method. By exploring the relationship between the microstructure of the multiphase ceramic and its electrical and mechanical properties, the controllable adjustment of the structural and functional properties of the B4C-TiB2 multiphase ceramic was achieved. This study provides a new approach for the preparation and performance research of structural functional integrated materials.

Design Principle of B4C-TiB2 Conductive Composite Ceramics Composite Ceramics Provided by Anhui University of Technology



In addition, Ran Songlin's team also utilized reaction sintering to in-situ construct a unique microstructure in TiB2 TiC SiC multiphase ceramics, achieving synchronous improvement of strength and toughness of the multiphase ceramics, solving the problem of difficulty in balancing the strength and toughness of ceramic materials.



The above research work has been supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, Anhui Efficient Collaborative Innovation Project, and Anhui University of Technology's "Youth Top Program - Young Scholars" talent project.