Characterization of the structure of TiB2/TiC nanocomposite powders fabricated by high-energy ball milling

TiB2/TiC nanocomposite powders were successfully prepared by high-energy ball milling of the powder mixtures of Ti and B4C. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the TiC phase was not produced until the milling time was up to 24 h and only a minimal amount of TiB2 was generated, even after 48 h of milling. The critical grain size of Ti milled for the reaction between Ti and B4C was 31.2 nm. Transmission electron microscopy clearly indicated that the resulting powder mixture obtained after milling for 48 h and annealing at 800 °C for 30 min was composed of nanosized TiC and TiB2 particles.