Mikio Ishikuro

Synthesis of full-density nanocrystalline tungsten carbide by reduction of tungstic oxide at room temperature

Among the hard alloys, WC alloys find wide industrial applications as tips for cutting tools and wear-resistant parts. Their intrinsic resistance to oxidation and corrosion at high temperatures also makes them desirable as a protective coating for devices at elevated temperatures. In the industrial scale of production, WC is prepared by a direct union of the elements at a temperature of 3,273 to 3,473 K. Accordingly, the high cost of preparation is a disadvantage of this process. Here, the authors report a novel technique for preparing a large amount of WC powder using a simple method. This process is based on mechanical solid-state reduction (MSSR) followed y solid-state reaction (SSR) during room-temperature ball milling (a high energy ball mill, Fritsch P6, was used at a rotation speed of 4.2 s{sup {minus}1}) of a mixture of WO{sub 3}, Mg, and C powders.

Boron-assisted transformation to rod-like graphitic carbons from multi-walled carbon nanotubes in boron-mixed multi-walled carbon nanotube solids.

We produced boron-mixed multi-walled carbon nanotube solids (B-mixed MWCNT solids) by heating and pressing the powder of purified MWCNTs mixed with 1, 5, and 10 wt % boron in the temperature range 1400-1800 °C every 200 °C under a constant pressure of 20 MPa in vacuo, and investigated the influence of boron addition on nanotube structure and the mechanical and electrical properties of the resulting B-mixed MWCNT solids. The structure of the prepared material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy-electron energy loss spectroscopy, Raman scattering spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, and their mechanical properties and conductivity were measured using a mechanical and Vickers indentation tester and an electric resistor, respectively. It is notable that part of the nanotubes in the B-mixed MWCNT solids solidified at 1800 °C had dramatically changed into rod-like graphitic carbons (RLGCs). The occupancy distribution of RLGCs increased with increasing boron contents. However, boron was not detected in the energy-loss near-edge structure spectrum of RLGCs. Furthermore, RLGCs were not observed in the boron-unmixed sample treated with the same solidified condition, indicating that adding boron causes a remarkable ability to transform the phase of MWCNT. Transformation from MWCNTs to RLGCs resulted in increased specific bending strength and modulus, Vickers hardness, and electrical conductivity of B-mixed MWCNT solids with increasing boron content and solidified temperature.