Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to achieve a hard and protective borided layer on commercially pure Ti (grade-2) by applying boriding, and to investigate the changes in its microstructure, hardness, friction and wear behaviors. Design/methodology/approach: Pack boriding technique was used to form a hard boron diffusion layer on titanium substrate. A powder mixture of amorphous boron and anhydrous borax was used as a solid-state boriding media, and then the boriding was carried out under inert atmosphere. Findings: A thick dual boride layer consisting of a monolithic titanium diboride (TiB₂) on the top and titanium monoboride (TiB) whiskers beneath that layer formed at relatively low diffusion temperature under pressured inert argon atmosphere in a boriding media containing boron source and activator. With boriding at specified conditions, very hard (4100 Hv0.01) and thick monolithic TiB₂ layer formed on the top-most layer which is required for improved tribological applications. Hardness decreased gradually through the TiB whisker layer and finally reached to the hardness of base material. Originality/value: This paper investigates the effects of components of boriding mixture and conditions of thermal treatment on the formation of borided layer and its properties. In previous studies, boriding mixtures containing a boron source, an activator and a filler material was generally used at high temperatures around or above 1,050°C to achieve a thick monolithic layer on the top of the surface of titanium. In the present study, no filler material was used to accelerate the boron diffusion because filler materials may inhibit the diffusion of boron atom through the surface of substrate of titanium. Also, diffusion treatment was carried out under pressurized argon atmosphere at relatively low diffusion temperature to achieve boride layer with the improved hardness and durability.

Copper (Cu) is widely used in electrical, electronic, and tribological systems owing to its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. However, its relatively low hardness and poor wear resistance limit its use in demanding engineering applications. In this study, Cu-based hybrid metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced with hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and boron carbide (B₄C) were fabricated via spark plasma sintering (SPS) to improve their mechanical and tribological performance. The h-BN content was fixed at 1 wt.% to ensure solid lubrication, while the B₄C content was varied (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 wt.%) to examine its influence on the microstructural, mechanical, electrical, and wear properties of the composites. Microstructural analyses confirmed a homogeneous distribution of h-BN and B₄C particles in the Cu matrix at low and moderate reinforcement levels, whereas excessive B₄C resulted in partial agglomeration and reduced densification. All composites achieved relative densities above 95%, demonstrating the high densification efficiency of the SPS process. Hardness increased markedly with B₄C addition due to dispersion strengthening and grain refinement, while electrical conductivity decreased slightly because of the insulating nature of the reinforcements. Tribological tests showed that the composite containing 0.75 wt.% B₄C exhibited the best performance, with the lowest wear rate and stable friction behavior. Overall, the results indicate that co-reinforcing Cu with h-BN and B₄C through SPS is a promising strategy for developing multifunctional materials suitable for electrical contact and sliding applications.

Cu-based hybrid composites reinforced with AlCrFeCuNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) particles and graphene were successfully fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) to investigate the combined effects of microstructure, mechanical properties, and tribological performance under electrical current. Microstructural observations revealed a dense and homogeneous distribution of HEA particles within the Cu matrix, while the addition of 2.0 wt.% graphene promoted noticeable grain refinement due to its grain boundary pinning effect. Although graphene addition provided beneficial effects in terms of grain refinement and electrical conductivity, it also increased the porosity from 2.49% to 5.08%. Consequently, the beneficial contribution of graphene to mechanical strengthening was substantially offset by the adverse effect of increased porosity, resulting in only a marginal increase in hardness from 127 HB to 129 HB. The addition of 2.0 wt.% graphene led to a pronounced change in the tribological behavior of the composites. The Cu–HEA exhibited relatively stable friction behavior but experienced a higher wear rate under all test conditions. In comparison, the Cu–HEA–2.0 Gr composite demonstrated a lower coefficient of friction and wear rate at 0–10 A, which is consistent with the possible formation of a graphene-rich lubricating surface layer. A clear transition occurred at 30 A, where the coefficient of friction and wear rate began to increase, while at 50 A, further increases in both parameters were observed, suggesting progressive disruption of the proposed protective surface layer under the investigated current-carrying sliding conditions.