Abstract
Understanding and controlling the grain structure of ZrB2 is critical for optimizing its mechanical and thermal performance in high-temperature applications. Fully dense ZrB2, densified by hot pressing at 2150˚C and 32 MPa, was analyzed in three dimensions using electron backscattered diffraction, electron and optical microscopy, and mechanical polishing serial sectioning. Grain size followed a gamma distribution, with extreme deviations observed only in the largest 0.1% of grains. Large grains exhibited plate-like morphologies, with the shortest-to-longest axis ratio converging to ∼0.4 as grain volume increased. This work revealed a crystallographically controlled growth mechanism orthogonal to [0001] that is independent of the applied uniaxial load. Comparison with a large-area 2D scan showed that while 2D analysis captures grain size distributions, it fails to resolve correlations between grain shape and size. A synthetic hexagonal high symmetry microstructure generated with equiaxed grains and random orientations reproduced the experimental size and misorientation distributions but highlighted deviations in shape and texture observed experimentally. These findings elucidate the role of grain morphology and orientation in ZrB2 microstructural evolution and provide guidance for designing ZrB2 microstructures with tailored anisotropy for performance. The experimental characterization in this study offers insights into the controlled processing of ultra-high-temperature ceramics.
Recommended Citation
R. Swanson et al., "Quantitative Grain Structure and Texture Analysis of Hot-pressed ZrB2 Via 3D EBSD," Materials and Design, vol. 261, article no. 115378, Elsevier, Jan 2026.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2025.115378
Department(s)
Materials Science and Engineering
Publication Status
Open Access
Keywords and Phrases
3D EBSD; Grain morphology; Serial sectioning; Texture analysis; Ultra-high temperature ceramic; Zirconium diboride (ZrB2)
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1873-4197; 0264-1275
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 Elsevier, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2026
