{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,13]],"date-time":"2025-10-13T08:47:52Z","timestamp":1760345272166,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,12,11]],"date-time":"2019-12-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1576022400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["No. 51474127 and No. 51671100"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["No. 51474127 and No. 51671100"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"the State Key Laboratory of Metal Material for Marine Equipment and Application-School of Material and Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Liaoning CO-project","award":["2017010 and 201905"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2017010 and 201905"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Materials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The microstructure and micro-hardness of tungsten carbide\/high strength steel (WC\/HSS) composites with different particle sizes were analyzed by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultra-high temperature laser confocal microscopy (UTLCM) and micro-hardness testing. The composites were prepared by cold pressing and vacuum sintering. The results show that WC density tends to increase as the average grain size of WC decreases and the micro-hardness of WC increases with the decrease of WC particle size. The micro-hardness of WC near the bonding interface is higher than that in other regions. When the particle size of WC powder particles is 200 nm, a transition layer with a certain width is formed at the interface between WC and HSS, and the combination between the two materials is metallurgical. The iron element in the HSS matrix diffuses into the WC structure in contact with it, resulting in a fusion layer of a certain width, and the composite interface is relatively well bonded. When the average particle size of WC powder is 200 nm, W, Fe and Co elements significantly diffuse in the transition zone at the interface. With the increase of WC particle size, the trend of element diffusion decreases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ma12244164","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,12,12]],"date-time":"2019-12-12T03:20:16Z","timestamp":1576120816000},"page":"4164","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Effect of Particle Size on Microstructure and Element Diffusion at the Interface of Tungsten Carbide\/High Strength Steel Composites"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Hongmei","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Material and Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan 114000, China"},{"name":"The State Key Laboratory of Metal Material for Marine Equipment and Application, Anshan Iron and Steel Research Institute of AnGang Group, Anshan 114009, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hongnan","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Material and Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan 114000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ling","family":"Yan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The State Key Laboratory of Metal Material for Marine Equipment and Application, Anshan Iron and Steel Research Institute of AnGang Group, Anshan 114009, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chao","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Material and Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan 114000, China"},{"name":"Technology Research Institute of Benxi Steel Group, Benxi 117000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fangfang","family":"Ai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The State Key Laboratory of Metal Material for Marine Equipment and Application, Anshan Iron and Steel Research Institute of AnGang Group, Anshan 114009, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yan","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The State Key Laboratory of Metal Material for Marine Equipment and Application, Anshan Iron and Steel Research Institute of AnGang Group, Anshan 114009, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Na","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Material and Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan 114000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhengyi","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Material and Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan 114000, China"},{"name":"The State Key Laboratory of Metal Material for Marine Equipment and Application, Anshan Iron and Steel Research Institute of AnGang Group, Anshan 114009, China"},{"name":"School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,12,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"599","DOI":"10.1007\/s11661-006-0032-z","article-title":"An analysis of grain boundaries and grain growth in cemented tungsten carbide using orientation imaging microscopy","volume":"37","author":"Kumar","year":"2006","journal-title":"Met. 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