Material Made From Highly Reactive [sub-micron]amorphous Titanium Diboride Powder And Products Made Therefrom

Abstract

A material of manufacture comprising sub-micron particulate amorphous titanium diboride formed by a process which comprises the steps of forming a powdered reaction mixture of titanium oxide, boron oxide and magnesium, exothermically reacting the reaction mixture in an atmosphere including air to yield a reacted mass containing titanium diboride and magnesia, leaching the reacted mass with a leaching solution having a pH in the range of about 0.5 to about 8, and recovering from the leaching solution sub-micron titanium diboride having a surface area of from about 25 to about 49 m² /gm; and a material of manufacture resulting from the hot pressing of the sub-micron particulate titanium diboride material of this invention which has a hardness of from about 2,800 to about 3,400 Knoop, an elastic modulus from about 700 to about 813 GPa, a forming temperature of from about 1500° C. or less, and a grain morphology aspect ratio of from about 2:1 to about 100:1.