Investigation of the factors affecting on the granulation of ZrB2 nano-particles synthesized by using Na metal as reductant

In the present research, the ZrB2 nano-powders are synthesized at low-temperature through heating a mixture of ZrCl4, B2O3, and Na metal in a molar ratio of 1:2:4 at 650 to 950 ºC under argon atmosphere. The effect of various parameters involved in phase transformation and morphology of the ZrB2 nano-powders are investigated. Also, the influence of the reactant's stoichiometry and different factors bearing upon the granulation of ZrB2 particles was examined systematically. In particular, the effects of NaCl salt addition, as well as effective thermodynamic parameters in the above synthesis process, were studied. The morphology of samples is characterized with the help of scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The XRD results show the presence of ZrB2 single phase in the product. The obtained images indicate that the synthesized powders have a crystallite nano-metric size ranging from 11 to 26 nm. The TEM images and statistical size distribution also reveal the presence of narrow size distribution of ZrB2 nano-particles. Also, various enhancement parameters like temperature, reaction time, and diluent component on the quality of the synthesized ZrB2 nano-powders were explored and reported.