Synthesis of ZrB2 and ZrB2-SiC Powders Using a Sucrose-Containing System

ZrB2 and ZrB2-SiC powders are synthesized by a sol-gel method from zirconium n-propoxide, tetraethyl orthosilicate (only for ZrB2-SiC), boric acid, and sucrose. After reduction at 1550 degrees C, both ZrB2 and ZrB2-SiC are unconsolidated, soft gray powders. The ZrB2-SiC particles have an equiaxed shape with a diameter of about 800 nm and a uniform size distribution. The SiC may be very finely distributed, because we barely find SiC among ZrB2 particles when using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), although both ZrB2 and SiC are identified by X-ray diffractometry (XRD).