Specific Features of Boron Detection and Interpretation in High-Entropy Borides and B₄C-Based Composites: A Brief Review

Editorial Board PCSS Journal; Yaroslav Zaulychnyy; Vasyl Mosiak; Lina Biriukovych; Oleg Stepanov; Iurii Bogomol

doi:10.15330/pcss.27.2.456-461

Authors

Yaroslav Zaulychnyy National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine
Vasyl Mosiak National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine
Lina Biriukovych National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine
Oleg Stepanov National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine
Iurii Bogomol National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15330/pcss.27.2.456-461

Keywords:

high-entropy borides, boron carbide, EDS mapping, WDS mapping, boron distribution, B Kα radiation, X-ray spectral analysis, B₄C–(TiZrHfNbTa)B₂ composites, X-ray absorption

Abstract

The specific features of detecting and interpreting boron distribution in composite materials based on boron carbide and high-entropy borides are considered. Literature data on the use of EDS and WDS methods for studying elemental distribution in high-entropy borides and B₄C–(TiZrHfNbTa)B₂ composites are analyzed. It is shown that the intensity of boron B Kα radiation strongly depends on the local chemical composition of the material and may significantly decrease in regions enriched with metallic components. It has been established that one of the reasons for this effect is the absorption and scattering of X-ray radiation by heavy elements, primarily zirconium, whose M₄,₅ absorption edge energy is close to the energy of the boron B Kα band. As a result, regions with reduced signal intensity may appear on boron distribution maps; however, these regions do not indicate the absence of boron in the studied crystallites. The obtained results demonstrate the need to take into account the specific interaction of characteristic radiation with the components of multicomponent boride systems when interpreting X-ray spectral analysis data.

References

J.W. Yeh, S.K. Chen, S.J. Lin, J.Y. Gan, T.S. Chin, T.T. Shun, C.H. Tsau, S.Y. Chang, Nanostructured High‐Entropy Alloys with Multiple Principal Elements: Novel Alloy Design Concepts and Outcomes, Adv. Eng. Mater. 6(5), 299 (2004); https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.200300567.

B. Cantor, I.T.H. Chang, P. Knight, A.J.B. Vincent, Microstructural development in equiatomic multicomponent alloys,Mater. Sci. Eng. A 375–377, 213 (2004); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2003.10.257.

C.M. Rost, E. Sachet, T. Borman, A. Moballegh, E.C. Dickey, D. Hou, J.L. Jones, S. Curtarolo, J.P. Maria, Entropy-stabilized oxides, Nat. Commun. 6, 8485 (2015); https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9485.

J. Gild, Y. Zhang, T. Harrington, S. Jiang, T. Hu, M.C. Quinn, W.M. Mellor, N. Zhou, K. Vecchio, J. Luo, High-Entropy Metal Diborides: A New Class of High-Entropy Materials and a New Type of Ultrahigh Temperature Ceramics, Sci. Rep. 6, 37946 (2016); https://doi.org/10.1038/srep37946.

Y. Zhang, W.M. Guo, Z.B. Jiang, Q.Q. Zhu, S.K. Sun, Y. You, K. Plucknett, H.T. Lin, Dense high-entropy boride ceramics with ultra-high hardness, Scr. Mater. 164, 135 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2019.01.021.

Y. Zhang, Z.B. Jiang, S.K. Sun, W.M. Guo, Q.S. Chen, J.X. Qiu, K. Plucknett, H.T. Lin, Microstructure and mechanical properties of high-entropy borides derived from boro/carbothermal reduction, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 39(13), 3920 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2019.05.017.

Y. Zhang, S.K. Sun, W. Zhang, Y. You, W.M. Guo, Z.W. Chen, J.H. Yuan, H.T. Lin, Improved densification and hardness of high-entropy diboride ceramics from fine powders synthesized via borothermal reduction process, Ceram. Int. 46(9), 14299 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.02.214.

G. Tallarita, R. Licheri, S. Garroni, R. Orrù, G. Cao, Scr. Novel processing route for the fabrication of bulk high-entropy metal diborides, Mater. 158, 100 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2018.08.039.

G. Tallarita, R. Licheri, S. Garroni, S. Barbarossa, R. Orrù, G. Cao, High-entropy transition metal diborides by reactive and non-reactive spark plasma sintering: A comparative investigation, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 40(4), 942 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2019.10.031.

R. Guo, Z. Li, L. Li, Y. Liu, R. Zheng, C. Ma, Microstructures and oxidation mechanisms of (Zr0.2Hf0.2Ta0.2Nb0.2Ti0.2)B2 high-entropy ceramic, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 42(5), 2127 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2021.12.036.

W. Yang, G. Xiao, Z. Ren, Spark plasma sintering synthesis of ReB2-type medium-entropy diboride (W1/3Re1/3Ru1/3)B2 with high hardness, Scr. Mater. 227, 115299 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2023.115299.

J.X. Liu, X.Q. Shen, Y. Wu, F. Li, G.J. Zhang, Mechanical properties of hot-pressed high-entropy diboride-based ceramics, J. Adv. Ceram. 9(4), 503 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-020-0383-8.

W. Li, Y. Liu, J. Li, Y. Cao, Ablation behavior of (Ti0.2Zr0.2Hf0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2)B2-SiC-Si ceramics via reactive melt infiltration, Mater. Charact. 218, 114468 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2024.114468.

H. Ying, Q.L. Guo, B.W. Yuan, H.Z. Fan, W. Yan, X. Zheng, J. Zhang, J.W. Wu, R.H. Liu, Preparation and properties of Ta foil toughened high entropy (Ti0.2Zr0.2Hf0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2)B2-SiC layered structure composites, Mater. Today Commun. 42, 111466 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2024.111466.

V. Kombamuthu, H. Ünsal, Z. Chlup, M. Tatarkova, A. Kovalcíkova, I. Zhukova, N. Hosseini, M. Hičák, I. Dlouhý, P. Tatarko, Effect of SiC on densification, microstructure and mechanical properties of high entropy diboride (Ti0.2Zr0.2Hf0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2)B2, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 44(9), 5358 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2023.12.072.

Q.L. Guo, H. Ying, B.W. Yuan, H.Z. Fan, L. Hua, R.H. Liu, Preparation and properties of Ta fiber reinforced high-entropy (Ti0.2Zr0.2Hf0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2)B2-SiC composite ceramics, J. Wang, Ceram. Int. 50(24), 56070 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2024.09.266.

Y. Yang, J.Q. Bi, K.N. Sun, Y.G. Chen, Toughened bulk high-entropy diborides with high hardness and enhanced oxidation resistance via SiC whiskers, Mater. Charact. 210, 113814 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2024.113814.

W. Hao, X.Z. Lu, L. Li, J.X. Liu, F. Li, G.J. Zhang, Toughened (Ti0.2Zr0.2Hf0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2)B2–SiC composites fabricated by one-step reactive sintering with a unique SiB6 additive, J. Adv. Ceram. 13(1), 86 (2024); https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2024.9220838.

X.Q. Shen, J.X. Liu, F. Li, G.J. Zhang, Preparation and characterization of diboride-based high entropy (Ti0.2Zr0.2Hf0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2)B2–SiC particulate composites, Ceram. Int. 45(18), 24508 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2019.08.178.

Y.J. Shi, W.X. Li, X.R. Zhang, Z.X. Zhang, Preparation and toughening mechanism of Al2O3 composite ceramics toughened by B4C@TiB2 core–shell units, J. Adv. Ceram. 12(12), 2371 (2023); https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220826.

L.Y. Xiang, L.F. Cheng, L. Shi, X.Y. Yin, L.T. Zhang, J. Alloys Compd. 638, 261 (2015).

Z.L. Huo, X. Wu, C.F. Du, J. Yang, Ceram. Int. 50(21), 43927 (2024).

H. Ying, Q. Guo, Y. Wen, B. Yuan, J. Wu, J. Wang, Toughening and high-temperature self-lubricating of high-entropy boride ceramics through h-BN, J. Adv. Ceram. 14(8), 9221120 (2025); https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2025.9221120.

D. Wang, K. Xu, Q. Li, X. Ding, S. Ran, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of In-Situ B4C-(TiZrHfNbTa) B2 Composite by Reactive Spark Plasma Sintering, JOM 74, 4129 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-022-05377-y.

J. Gu, J. Zou, S.K. Sun, H. Wang, S.Y. Yu, J. Zhang, W. Wang, Z. Fu, Dense and pure high-entropy metal diboride ceramics sintered from self-synthesized powders via boro/carbothermal reduction approach, Sci. China Mater. 62(12), 1898 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-019-9469-4.

S. Kavak, K.G. Bayrak, M. Mansoor, M. Kaba, E. Ayas, Ö. Balcı-Çağıran, B. Derin, M.L. Öveçoğlu, D. Ağaoğulları, First principles calculations and synthesis of multi-phase (HfTiWZr)B2 high entropy diboride ceramics: Microstructural, mechanical and thermal characterization, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 43(3), 768 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2022.10.047.

J.A. Bearden, X-Ray Wavelengths, Rev. Mod. Phys. 39(1), 78 (1967); https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.39.78.

M.A. Blokhin, I.G. Shveitser, X-ray Spectral Handbook (Nauka, Moscow, 1982).

Y. Piao, Q. Jiang, H. Li, J. Liang, H. Matsumoto, Y. Sato, J. Zhang, Y. Chen, Identify Zr Promotion Effects in Atomic Scale for Co-Based Catalysts in Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis, ACS Catal. 10(14), 7894 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.0c01874.

I. Bogomol, E. Ferkhatly, S. Ponomarchuk, Y. Zaulychnyi, M. Karpets, I. Solodkyi, Ceramic eutectic composites based on B4C directionally reinforced by high-entropy (TiZrHfNbTa)B2 boride, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 44(1), 51 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2023.08.028.