ISSN 3041-1815. Physicochemical Mechanics of Materials. 2026.
Volume 62, Issue 3

High temperature oxidation resistance of medium-entropy diboride ceramics based on (Zr, Hf)B2 solid solution

Vedel D. V. ORCID
Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine. (https://ror.org/010jn4k46)
G. V. Kurdyumov Institute for Metal Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine. (https://ror.org/01a1qdv64)
Mazur P. V. ORCID
Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine. (https://ror.org/010jn4k46)
Ilnitska Ya. V. ORCID
National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine. (https://ror.org/00syn5v21)
Skoryk M. A. ORCID
G. V. Kurdyumov Institute for Metal Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine. (https://ror.org/01a1qdv64)

Keywords

ultra high-temperature ceramics, diborides, solid solution, oxidation.

Cite as

Vedel D. V., Mazur P. V., Ilnitska Ya. V., and Skoryk M. A. High temperature oxidation resistance of medium-entropy diboride ceramics based on (Zr, Hf)B2 solid solution. Physicochemical Mechanics of Materials. 2026. 62(3), 65-73.

Abstract

High-temperature oxidation resistance of medium-entropy diboride ceramics based on (Zr, Hf)В2 solid solutions alloyed with TiВ2, NbВ2 and TaВ2 was investigated. Samples were produced by hot pressing and subjected to oxidation at 1500°C in air. It is found that ceramic oxidation has a selective mechanism and depends on the individual resistance of each diboride. The addition of Ti reduces oxidation resistance due to the intense formation of a liquid phase during oxidation, which leads to the formation of a thick, heteroge­neous scale. Alloying with NbВ2 and TaВ2 promotes the formation of thinner oxide layers, but the oxidation mechanisms differ in the case of Nb, a liquid phase is present, whereas TaВ2 forms a dense surface layer of Ta2O5, which effectively reduces oxygen diffusion. The obtained results allow us to clarify the oxidation mechanisms of medium-entropy boride ceramics and identify promising areas for their further improvement.

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