Characterization of structure and properties of TiN–TiB2 nano-composite prepared by ball milling and high pressure heat treatment

Synthesis of TiN–TiB2 nano-composite was investigated by mechanical milling of mixture of Ti and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and subsequent sintering under high pressure and high temperature (HPHT). A TiN–TiB2 composite was fabricated by ball milling of the mixture for 70 h and then sintering at 5 GPa, 1300 °C. The composite has micro-hardness of 8.8 GPa and electrical resistivity of 2 × 10−4 Ω cm. The formation mechanism of the composite was discussed based on thermodynamics and kinetics.