Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.99, No.7, 2422-2427, 2016
NaB5C-B-5/C Composite Ceramics Prepared by Reaction Sintering in Na Vapor
Reaction sintering of sodium carbaboride (NaB5C) was performed by heating compacts of mixtures of amorphous boron (B) and carbon black (C) powders (B/C molar ratio, 5/1) at 1173 K in Na vapor. The ceramics obtained from the compacts of B-5/C powder mixed with a ball mill (compact density, 1.67 Mg/m(3)) were the composites of NaB5C (74 mass%) and unreacted B-5/C (26 mass%). The bulk density and bending strength of the composite ceramics were 2.04 +/- 0.03 Mg/m(3) and 320.9 +/- 10.4 MPa, respectively. Transmission electron microscope observation revealed that nanometer-size amorphous grains of B or C were included in the matrix of NaB5C.