Abstract
Boron carbide (B4C) powder was synthesized by carbothermal reduction and the effect of additives on particle size and morphology of B4C powder was investigated. B2O3, carbon black and commercial B4C powder were used as starting materials. The mixtures of B2O3-carbon black-B4C were heat-treated at 1550oC. The amount of B4C in the products increased with increasing the amount of B4C and decreasing carbon content in the mixtures. Whereas the particle size of B4C powder without B4C additive was about 30 micron, B4C powder obtained using B4C additive mainly consisted of polyhedral grains with a particle size of 1-5 micron, and it showed much smaller grain than the powder without B4C additive.
