Title: Volume combustion and mechanochemical syntheses of LaB₆

Authors: Baris Akgün; Naci Sevinç; H. Erdem Çamurlu; Yavuz Topkaya

Addresses: Roketsan Missiles Inc., Ankara, Turkey ' Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department, Atılım University, Ankara, Turkey ' Makine Mühendisliği Bölümü, Akdeniz Üniversitesi, Dumlupınar Bulvarı, 07058, Kampüs, Antalya, Turkey ' Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey

Abstract: LaB₆ powder was produced by volume combustion synthesis (VCS) and mechanochemical synthesis (MCS) methods, through magnesiothermic reduction of La₂O₃ and B₂O₃ powders. VCS was achieved by rapid heating of the reactant mixture in argon, whereas MCS was performed via high energy ball milling. All the products were subjected to XRD, SEM, gravimetric and particle size distribution analyses. MCS resulted in the expected products LaB₆ and MgO. In addition to these, VCS products contained LaBO₃ and Mg₃B₂O₆. In order to obtain pure LaB₆, 30 min leach in 1 M HCl was found to be enough for MCS products, whereas Mg₃B₂O₆ could not be removed from the VCS products even after 15 h leach. Wet milling of VCS products before leach facilitated obtaining of pure LaB₆. Average particle sizes of the LaB₆ powder produced by VCS and MCS were 290 and 180 nm, respectively.

Keywords: lanthanum hexaboride; LaB₆; mechanochemical synthesis; MCS; volume combustion synthesis; VCS; magnesiothermic reduction.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.2017.087030

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 2017 Vol.55 No.4, pp.331 - 339

Accepted: 05 Jun 2016
Published online: 05 Oct 2017 *

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