Title: Transition metal carbide and boride through alkoxide gelation

Authors: Toru Ogawa, Kousaku Fukuda

Addresses: Department of Fuels and Materials Research, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki-ken, Japan. ' Department of Fuels and Materials Research, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki-ken, Japan

Abstract: Fine powders of transition metal carbides (Tic, ZrC) were synthesized by hydrolyzing metal alkoxides in carbon suspensions and subsequently heating in vacuum. Mixing of carbon and hydrated metal oxide was strongly affected by the pH of the solution, the hydrolysis rate, and the property of carbon. The heat treatment of the mixture gave a soft agglomerate of the carbide, which was ultrasonically crushed into submicron-sized powder of near monodispersion. An intimate mixture of ZrC and ZrB2 was also obtained in the same manner by adding triethylborate to the starting solution. Fine aggregates and ultrasonically separated particles were analyzed by EPMA and microdiffraction.

Keywords: fine powders; gelation; transition metals; titanium carbide; zirconium carbide; ZrB2; zirconium diboride; alkoxides; hydrolysis; triethylborate; fine aggregates; ultrasonic separation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.1993.036560

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 1993 Vol.8 No.2/3/4, pp.476 - 483

Published online: 04 Nov 2010 *

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