## 1 Introduction  
Boron carbide (B\({}_{4}\)C) is a ceramic material with outstanding mechanical properties, such as good thermal stability and conductivity (30 W/m K), a low density (2.52 g/cm\({}^{3}\)), a high melting point (2450 \({}^{\circ}\)C) and high hardness (30 GPa) [1]. These properties guarantee B\({}_{4}\)C as an extremely competitive material for a wide range of industrial applications, such as ballistic, refractory or electronics fields [2]. B\({}_{4}\)C behaves as a thermoelectric material with a high Seebeck coefficient of 300 \(\upmu\)V/K. This characteristic makes it a very interesting material for emerging applications in thermocouples, diodes and transistors. B\({}_{4}\)C is recognized as the third-hardest material, after diamond and cubic boron nitride. It combines exceptional hardness, maintaining a low density, which makes it a lightweight alternative to diamond (\(\sim\)3.51 g/cm\({}^{3}\)). B\({}_{4}\)C exhibits good thermal conductivity but lower than diamond's. Electrically, B\({}_{4}\)C behaves as a semiconductor with low conductivity, contrasting with diamond, which is a magnificent electrical insulator. B\({}_{4}\)C works good in harsh environments due to its high resistance to corrosion. Diamond, despite its chemical inertness, can oxidize at elevated temperatures. B\({}_{4}\)C could replace the use of diamond as a more cost-effective and readily-available-in-larger-quantities material, making it attractive for industrial applications [3]. Ionizing radiation is very important in medical and industrial fields. In medicine, it is used for diagnostic imaging techniques and nuclear medicine treatments. In the industrial field, radiation is used for applications such as sterilization, material testing and quality control. Nuclear power generation contributes significantly to global energy production, offering a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. The challenge is determining how to take advantage of the benefits of ionizing radiation while minimizing the associated risks. In this context, B4C exhibits exceptional neutron absorption capacity (600 barns). This makes it extensively used in nuclear reactor protection and monitoring systems as effective shielding [4; 5]. Beyond its nuclear applications, B4C has high hardness and reduced density compared to other ceramics, like SiC, Al\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\), Si\({}_{3}\)N\({}_{4}\) and ZrO\({}_{2}\). These characteristics make polymers reinforced with B4C highly attractive for tribological applications [6]. B4C is a promising semiconductor with a hopping-type electrical transport behavior. Its bandgap (approximately 2.09 eV) is influenced by its composition and structural order. It is a p-type material with potential for innovative electronic device applications [2]. A critical aspect when processing B4C is densification. Dense materials are often needed for many advanced applications. Different sintering additives have been explored to increase densification rates, control grain growth and improve mechanical properties. Carbon has proven effective in reducing the oxide layer on B4C powders, which helps sintering and limits grain growth [7]. High-entropy alloys (HEAs) appeared in 2004 as a result of at least five different metallic elements being combined at approximately equal atomic ratios [8; 9]. This kind of alloy rapidly became of high interest in the academic field due to their remarkable properties and their possible engineering applications, where high strength, ductility, thermal stability or corrosion resistance are required [10]. HEAs are found in a wide range of industrial applications, exhibiting superior properties to traditional alloys, which typically consist of only one or two primary elements, in biomedical [11; 12], nuclear [13; 14; 15] and refractory applications, such as jet engines and turbines [16]. The actual focus of HEAs has appeared to expand to magnetic applications, energy conversion, hydrogen storage and catalysis [17], answering actual social or industrial problems.