Synthesis of Fe-TiB2 Nanocomposite by a combination of mechanical activation and heat treatment

The TiB2-reinforced iron matrix nanocomposite (Fe-TiB2) was in-situ fabricated from titanium hydride (TiH2) and iron boride (FeB) powders by a simple and cost-effective process that combines the mechanical activation (MA) and a subsequent heat treatment (HT). Effect of milling factors and synthesized temperatures on the formation of the nanocomposite were presented and discussed. A differential thermal analyser (DSC-TG) was employed for examination of thermal behavior of MAed powders. Phases of the nanocomposite were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The morphologies and microstructure of nanocomposite were investigated by field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Phase composition and distribution were analyzed by electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA). Results showed that TiB2 particles formed in nanoscale were uniformly distributed in alloyed Fe matrix.