Fabrication of laminated TiB2-B4C/Cu-Ni composites by electroplating and spark plasma sintering

We proposed a new method, electroplating followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS), to fabricate laminated TiB2-B4C/Cu-Ni composites with high strength and high toughness. It is found that a thin intermediate Cu layer can effectively enhance the strength of the interface between the ceramics and the metals, resulting in a high flexural strength and toughness of the laminated TiB2-B4C composites simultaneously. A flexural strength and fracture toughness of 651 MPa and 11.6 MPa m1/2 respectively, are achieved, an approximately 90% improvement over TiB2-B4C bulk.