According to the reaction principle used in the synthesis of boron carbide powder, raw materials and equipment, the industrial production methods of boron carbide powder mainly include high temperature self-spreading synthesis method and carbon tube furnace arc furnace carbothermal reduction method, in recent years, there are also laser chemical gas reaction method sol-gel carbothermal reduction method.

1.1 Carbon tube furnace electric arc furnace carbothermal reduction method

This is the most commonly used method, synthesis of boron carbide powder as early as the stoichiometric shortly after the B4C was identified (1934), electric furnace production of industrial research of boron carbide is successful, boron carbide as abrasive start has been applied in industry Elemental boron or a boron compound and carbon powder or carbon compounds into the high temperature after mixing equipment, such as carbon tube furnace or electric arc furnace, the flux in order to protect the gas or N2 under a certain temperature synthesis of boron carbide powder.

1.2 Self-propagating high temperature synthesis method

Self-propagating high temperature synthesis method is to use compound synthesis heat of reaction, the reaction to proceed a process method Since this method during the preparation of boron carbide with magnesium as fluxing agent, so, also called magnesium hot compared with other methods, has a lower reaction temperature Advantages of energy saving quick and easy to control, so the synthesis of boron carbide powder was of high purity and the original powder particle size is fine, generally do not need to deal with the broken, is the better method of synthesis of boron carbide powder, the disadvantage is that the reactants in the residue of MgO style must be washed by the additional process, and extremely difficult to remove.

1.3 Laser induced chemical vapor deposition

Laser induced chemical vapor deposition (LVD) is a method that uses the absorption of reactive gas molecules to laser beam of specific wavelength to generate thermal decomposition or chemical reaction, and then forms ultrafine powder through nucleation and growth.

1.4 Sol-gel carbothermal reduction

Sol-gel method refers to the method of synthesizing boron carbide powder by means of sol-gel solution solidification of inorganic substances or metal alcohols, and then heat treatment. Because the boride providing boron source is difficult to form gel with other inorganic substances or organic substances, there are few reports on the synthesis of boron carbide powder by this method.