Synthesis, Structure, and Properties of Titanium Diboride Nanoparticles

Abstract

The products of reaction between TiCl4 and NaBH4 in NaCl/KCl or KBr ionic melts at 973 and 1023 K under an argon pressure of 5 MPa have been characterized by various physicochemical analysis techniques. The results demonstrate that these conditions lead to the formation of TiB2 nanoparticles with hexagonal symmetry (sp. gr. P6/mmm, AlB2 structure) and lattice parameters a = 0.3022–0.3025 nm and с = 0.3214–0.3221 nm. The average diameters of the TiB2 nanoparticles evaluated from electron microscopy, specific surface area, and X-ray diffraction (crystallite size) data for the two synthesis temperatures are ~10 and ~15, ~12 and ~17, and ~5 and ~10 nm, respectively.