Carbothermal reduction synthesis of TiB2 ultrafine powders

Submicrometric TiB2 powders were synthesized by carbothermal reduction process using titanium dioxide, boron carbide and carbon black as the starting materials. The influence of different amount of boron carbide (22.0–26.8 wt%), calcination temperature (1400–1900 °C) and holding time (15–90 min) on the composition and microstructure of the product was investigated. The resultant powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results showed that hexagonal impurity-free TiB2 crystalline powders with the grain size below 1.0 μm could be successfully prepared at 1600 °C for 30 min in Ar atmosphere when the amount of boron carbide was 25.3 wt%. The increase in temperature contributed to reaction completion and grain growth, but the abnormal grain growth and oversintering took place above 1800 °C.