Effect of Molecular Structure of Polyols with Different Molecular Characteristics on Synthesis of Boron Carbide Powder

Abstract

Crystalline boron carbide (B4C) powder was synthesized by the carbothermal reduction of condensed products formed from boric acid (H3BO3) and polyols with different molecular characteristics, i.e., glycerin, mannitol, and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The effect of the molecular structure of the polyol on the thermal decomposition conditions and the obtained morphology of the B4C powder was discussed in this study. The thermal decomposition in air of each condensed product was performed before the carbothermal reduction in order to eliminate the excess carbon, where the decomposition conditions varied with the type of polyol. Crystalline B4C powder with less residual free carbon was synthesized from the thermally decomposed products by heating at 1250 °C for 5 h in an Ar flow. The thermal decomposition conditions and the particle size of the obtained B4C powder reflected the molecular characteristics of the polyols.