Process For Making Highly Reactive Sub-micron Amorphous Titanium Diboride Powder

Abstract

A method of producing submicron titanium diboride from an initial mixture of titanium oxide, boron oxide, and magnesium, by reducing the titanium dioxide and boron oxide with magnesium in an atmosphere including air to yield a resultant product containing submicron titanium diboride and magnesia. The reduction reaction is preferably initiated by locally igniting the initial mixture. The resultant product is then cooled and leached with a leaching solution having a pH in the range of about 0.5 to about 8 to recover the sub-micron titanium diboride.