Mw-plasma Produced High Entropy Borides Synthesized Based on Entropy Forming Ability and Mechanical Properties

High entropy borides have favorable mechanical properties making them great candidates for materials that can withstand extreme conditions. This research seeks to look at samples with the entropy-forming ability for high entropy borides produced utilizing microwave-induced plasma. Precursors containing metal oxides and borons were annealed for a borothermal reduction resulting in an AlB2-type hexagonal crystal structure. The computationally predicted mechanical properties and first principle are compared to the synthesized high entropy borides (HEBs). Results from ongoing research have shown that MW-plasma synthesized HEBs are consistent with the calculated hardness and the entropy-forming ability (EFA) prediction. From ongoing research, the highest EFA does not correlate to the highest hardness. Therefore, this research focuses on the HEBs candidate with the highest and lowest EFA values. The MW-plasma HEBs microstructure, hardness, and oxidation resistance will be presented.