Preparation of TiB 2 Ultrafine Powders by Carbothermal Reduction

TiO2, B2O3, H3BO3, B4C and carbon black were used as the raw materials to prepare TiB2 powders by carbothermal reduction method. The influence of different content of carbon black (13.6~14.8 wt%) on products was discussed. The effects of different boron sources and holding time (10~50 min) on the microstructure of TiB2 powders were also investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to study the phase composition and structural evolution of the powder. The final results showed that hexagonal TiB2 crystal grain could be successfully synthesized without impurities when heated at 1700°C for 30 min in Ar atmosphere with the addition of 14.1 wt% carbon black. Submicrometric TiB2 powders range from 0.5 to 1.0 μm could be obtained when B4C was used as the boron source. The increase in holding time contributed to the grain growth and completion of chemical reactions, but could also result in oversintering.