Abstract:
ZrC and ZrB
2 are both typical ultra-high temperature ceramics, which can be used in the hyperthermal environment. In this study, a method for preparing ultrafine ZrC–ZrB
2 composite powder was provided, by using the raw materials of nano ZrO
2, carbon black, B
4C, and metallic Ca. It is worth pointing out that ZrC–ZrB
2 composite powder with any proportion of ZrC to ZrB
2 could be synthesized by this method. Firstly, a mixture of ZrC and C was prepared by carbothermal reduction of ZrO
2. By adjusting the addition amount of B
4C, ZrC was boronized by B
4C to generate ZrC–ZrB
2 composite powder with different compositions. Using this method, five composite powders with different molar ratios of ZrC and ZrB
2 (100ZrC, 75ZrC–25ZrB
2, 50ZrC–50ZrB
2, 25ZrC–75ZrB
2, and 100ZrB
2) were prepared. When the temperature of boronization and decarburization process was 1473 K, the particle size of product was only tens of nanometres. Finally, the oxidation characteristics of different composite powders were investigated through oxidation experiments. The oxidation resistance of ZrC–ZrB
2 composite powder continued to increase as the content of ZrB
2 increased.