Structural evolution of TiH2–B4C during ball milling and subsequent heat treatment

TiB2–TiC nanocomposite was fabricated by high-energy ball milling and subsequent heat treatment. The microstructural evolution of the powder mixtures was monitored by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field scanning electron microscopy (FSEM). It was found that a nanocrystalline fcc-TiCxB1−y was synthesized after milling for 180 h. The TiCxB1−y phase was transformed into TiC–TiB2 nanocomposite after subsequent heat treatment.