Mechanical properties of Al3BC by nanoindentation and micropillar compression

•Al3BC particles with large enough size were synthesized in Al matrix.•Mechanical properties of Al3BC were experimentally measured for the first time.•The data is important for the design and optimization of Al3BC/Al composites. Mechanical properties of Al3BC are still not sufficiently investigated yet for its synthesis difficulties. In this work, the mechanical properties of single-crystal Al3BC were experimentally measured through nanoindentation and micropillar compression for the first time. The hardness, modulus and compression strength were measured to be 24 GPa, 332 GPa and 8.7 GPa, respectively. The high mechanical properties of Al3BC are one prerequisite for it as the reinforcement of Al alloys. This work is expected to have a profound significance for the design and optimization of Al3BC/Al composites.