Carbothermal Preparation of Ultra-Fine TiB₂ Powders Using Solution-Derived Precursors via Sol-Gel Method

Ultra-fine titanium diboride (TiB2) powders have been prepared by carbothermal reduction reactions in TiO2-B2O3-C system using tetrabutyl titanate, boric acid and phenolic resin as the solution-derived precursors. The reactions were substantially completed at relatively lower temperature (<1400°C) and the resulting products had a smaller average crystallite size (< 200 nm). However, below 1100°C, titanium carbide was the predominant phase and the relative content decreased with the rise of temperature. The thermodynamic change in TiO2-B2O3-C system was mainly studied by TG-DTA and the mechanism of synthesis of TiB2 was discussed. The crystallite size and morphology of the synthesized powders were characterized by SEM and TEM.