Preparation of high-entropy (Ti,Nb,Ta,Mo,W)(C,N) ceramics via carbothermal reduction nitridation using different carbon source

The (W,Mo,Ta,Nb,Ti)(C,N) high-entropy carbonitride powders were synthesized by the carbothermal reduction nitridation method, utilizing equimolar proportions of either graphite or carbon black. The subsequent utiliza-tion of these pre-synthesized powders yielded carbonitride ceramics after spark plasma sintering. The choice of carbon source played an important role in the microstructure, phase compositions and mechanical properties. By employing carbon black with its fine particle size and high reactivity, the synthesized powder maintained finer size, narrow powder size distribution (350 +/- 12 nm) and have less free-carbon (-0.032 wt%), which contributed to the high hardness (26.8 +/- 1.4 GPa) of the sintered ceramic. Conversely, utilizing graphite with its larger particle size and lower reactivity would increase the fraction of free-carbon, leading to the deterioration of the ceramic's performance.