Simultaneous Synthesis and Consolidation of Nanostructured HfB₂–SiC Composite

A dense nanostructured 2HfB2-SiC composite was simultaneously synthesized and consolidated by the pulsed current activated sintering method in one step within very short time (two minutes) from mechanically activated 2Hf, B4C and Si powders. Simultaneous combustion synthesis and consolidation were achieved through the combination of the effects of the pulsed current and mechanical pressure. A highly dense 2HfB2–SiC composite with 97.5% relative density was achieved under the simultaneous application of a pressure of 80 MPa and the pulsed current. The fracture toughness of the 2HfB2–SiC composite was higher than that of monolithic HfB2.