Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of MoAlB boride ceramics based on MAB-phase

This study focuses on the combustion kinetics and mechanisms of reaction mixtures in the Mo–Al–B ternary system taken so that the MoAlB MAB phase was formed. The effect of the initial temperature on the key combustion parameters was demonstrated. Reaction mixture preheating was found to weakly affect the maximum combustion temperature. The effective activation energy of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) was calculated. Phase diagrams in the Mo–Al–B system were built using the AFLOW and Materials Project databases. The phase composition and structure of the synthesized ceramics with MoAlB lamellar grains 0.4 μm thick and ~2–10 μm long as a main component were studied. The DXRD lines of MoB and Mo2B5 intermediate borides with their total content of ≤3 % were also identified. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy studies revealed that the Al2O3 phase was present in the intergranular pores. A sequence of chemical transformations in the combustion wave was studied, and a hypothesis about the structure formation mechanism was put forward. MoO2 and Al2O3 can be the primary phases during SHS, and the MoAlB phase is formed from the boron-containing aluminum–molybdenum melt. Submicron-sized MoB precipitates are formed in the post-combustion zone due to the partial oxidation of aluminum by the dispersion strengthening mechanism.