Integrated preparation of B₄C–TiB₂ multilayer graded ceramics with high hardness and high toughness

AbstractThe enhancement in the comprehensive performance of hardness, toughness, and strength is significant for ceramic materials. In this study, the B4C–TiB2 multilayer graded ceramics were designed and integrally manufactured by spark plasma sintering method using B4C and TiB2 as raw materials. The B4C–TiB2 multilayer graded ceramics feature a transition from the top layer with high hardness to the bottom layer with high toughness, passing through an intermediate layer. The gradient change of this material is observed in both the hardness and fracture toughness, reaching values of 36.2–28.4 GPa and 2.2–6.2 MPa m.5. The compressive strength reaches up to 2960 MPa, whereas the bending strength gets to 677 MPa in the appropriate loading direction. The structure forms a gradient pattern with high hardness on the front side, high toughness on the back side, and overall low density and high strength. This study may facilitate the development of impact‐resistant performance of lightweight materials.