Impact of Electron Beam Treatment on the Structure and Phase Composition of TiB2 – Ag Coating Deposited by Electrical Explosion Spraying on a Copper Substrate

Abstract

The microstructure of a new TiB₂ – Ag metal matrix composite coating deposited by electrical explosion spraying and modified by electron beam treatment is studied using x-ray diffraction analysis and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that the phase composition of the coating depends on the deposition mode, and the subsequent electron beam treatment normalizes it. The main phases of the resulting modified coating are Ag, TiB₂ and B₂O. After the electron beam treatment, the microstructure of the coating transforms. The nanostructure of the silver matrix is transformed into a nanocrystalline structure with an average crystal size of tens to hundreds of nanometers.