| Abstract Scope |
Titanium diboride (TiB<sub>2</sub>) has garnered significant attention for extreme applications owing to its thermal stability, thermal shock resistance, hardness, and thermal conductivity. However, there are not many commercial TiB<sub>2</sub> powders with sub-micron size or controlled morphology to be used when creating structural components that exhibit the desired performance. In this study, TiB<sub>2</sub> powders were synthesized via sol-gel using titanium isopropoxide (titanium precursor), boric acid, and trimethyl borate (boron precursors), and phenolic resin (carbon source) in a mixture of acetic acid, alcohol, and distilled water. Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Thermogravimetric analysis (DSC-TG) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to follow the reaction, and X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), and particle size analysis were used to characterize the powders through the different stages. The analysis confirmed TiB<sub>2</sub>, TiC, and B<sub>4</sub>C</sub> phases were found after heat treatment at1500℃ for 2 hours, with submicron particle size. |