Enhanced mechanical properties of Ni-based composites doped with a low amount of amorphous boron

The mechanical properties of spark plasma sintered Ni, such as hardness, tensile strength, compression resistance at 25 and 750 degrees C while maintaining good ductility and dynamic impact wear resistance were greatly improved by applying high-energy ball milling and introducing a small amount of amorphous boron as a reactive additive. An excellent combination of properties has been achieved by forming a submicron microstructure and nanocrystalline h-BN reinforcing layers.