Room-temperature deformation of single crystals of ZrB2 and TiB2 with the hexagonal AlB2 structure investigated by micropillar compression

The plastic deformation behavior of single crystals of two transition-metal diborides, ZrB2 and TiB2 with the AlB2 structure has been investigated at room temperature as a function of crystal orientation and specimen size by micropillar compression tests. Although plastic flow is not observed at all for their bulk single crystals at room temperature, plastic flow is successfully observed at room temperature by the operation of slip on {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<11$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 3> in ZrB2 and by the operation of slip on {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<0001> and {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<11$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 0> in TiB2. Critical resolve shear stress values at room temperature are very high, exceeding 1 GPa for all observed slip systems; 3.01 GPa for {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<11$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 3> slip in ZrB2 and 1.72 GPa and 5.17 GPa, respectively for {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<0001> and {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<11$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 0> slip in TiB2. The identified operative slip systems and their CRSS values are discussed in comparison with those identified in the corresponding bulk single crystals at high temperatures and those inferred from micro-hardness anisotropy in the early studies.