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Boron carbide (B4C) is a non-oxide ceramic with a wide range of outstanding properties including high melting point, high hardness and a low density. It is used in refractory devices, ballistic protection, wear resistance enhancement and composite reinforcement. It is also a promising candidate material for high-temperature sensors and thermoelectric energy conversion due to its large Seebeck coefficients and material stability.
Synthesis of B4C Powders with Different Starting Mixtures and Molecular Weights
The chemical synthesis of B4C powders is a challenging task that requires careful consideration of the temperature, time and pressure during the synthesis process. In addition, the stoichiometry of the final powders is of paramount importance. Moreover, the powders should be dense and of excellent microstructures.
Various methods for the preparation of boron carbide powders have been developed in recent years. However, free carbon residues and inhomogeneous particle size distributions of the resulting powders are common problems.
Hot pressing sintering is the most commonly employed method for preparing B4C ceramics and yields dense products that are ideal for industrial applications. In this procedure, a mixture of B4C powder and a binding binder is heated rapidly until the B2O3 eutectic phase appears, after which the product is then cooled in a crucible to remove any remaining water.
Spark plasma sintering is another technique for sintering B4C powders, although the optimum conditions are still not well known. It is a highly effective technique for the production of dense B4C ceramics, but can require high temperatures and prolonged sintering times.