Application of Nano-Chromium Oxide for Production of Boron Carbide Ceramics

In this paper, we present the development of new types of boron carbide-based ceramics. Boron carbide is applied in the electronics and nuclear industries as well as for production of the grinding and abrasive materials, protective plates for body armor. The interaction of boron carbide with chromium nano-oxide additives (1-5 wt.%) during sintering was studied by mass spectrometry. It is shown that the formation of chromium nano-boride takes place at the stages of formation of metallic chromium, the lowest chromium boride and chromium carbide. The maximum solubility of chromium in the boron carbide lattice was found to be 0.5 wt.%. A composite material based on boron carbide, В4С with CrB2 nano-inclusions, was prepared. The bending strength and modulus of normal elasticity were equal to 44.6 MPa and 449.5 GPa, respectively. Micro-hardness and residual porosity were determined to be 40 GPa and 5-7 %.