What is Hafnium Carbide?
Hafnium carburide (HfC), a chemical compound composed of hafnium, is a combination of carbon and hafnium. It is a binary compound with a melting point of 3900degC. The oxidation resistance of this compound is extremely low. At 430degC, oxidation begins. This compound might be used in the heat shield of future spacecraft.
Carbonizations are usually devoid of carbon. Therefore, their composition is typically expressed as HfCx (x = 0,5 to 1,0). The crystal structure is cubic (salt).
Hafnium carburide is normally synthesized in a reducing or inert atmosphere with hafnium (HfO2) dioxide and carbon. The reaction is carried out at a temperature between 1900-2300degC. Hafnium carburide can form solid solutions with many compounds such as ZrC or TaC. ).
The hafnium oxide (IV) obtained by reducing powdered hafnium with carbon is between 1800 and 2000degC. To remove all the oxygen, it takes a lot of time. Chemical vapor deposition can also produce a coating of high purity HfC from a mixture containing methane, hydrogen and vaporized chlorine chloride (IV). HfC’s limited use is due to its technical complexity and high cost.
HfC-x undergoes a change from paramagnetism to diamagnetism when x is increased. TaC has the same structure as HfC but exhibits the opposite behavior.
What is hafnium carbide used for?
Hafnium carbide is an excellent material for rockets. It can also be used for ceramics, other industries and as the nose of space rockets which re-enter our atmosphere.
How powerful is hafnium carbide?
W-based or Mo-based alloys that are dispersed with Hafnium Carbide exhibit superior tensile strength and stress rupture properties than those without the HfC. MoHfC is stronger than WHfC at 1400K pressure, based on density compensation.
Hafnium carbide has a density 12.7g/cm3 as well as a melting temp of 3890degC. It is the most melting temperature known for a single compound. The thermal expansion coefficient of 6.73×10-6 is equal to 1.95×10-4O*cm. In general, hafnium (HfO2) is combined with carbon to create powders in an inert environment. Hafnium carburide can react at a temperature of 1900-2300°C and form a solid with many compounds. It is characterized by a high melting temperature and high elastic co-efficient, as well as good electrical and thermal conductivity.
Is hafnium carbide poisonous?
In studies on animals, the intraperitoneal routes of trichlorooxidation were toxic. There have been no reported cases of industrial poisoning. Carbide : Pure carbon is very low in toxicity for humans. It may be processed into graphite and charcoal or safely consumed.
Why does hafnium carburide have a melting point so high?
Hafnium carburide is resistant to corrosion as it forms an oxide layer on the surface. According to “Chemical World”, the mixed carbide of hafnium and tungsten has the highest melting points of all known compounds at 7,457° Fahrenheit (4125° Celsius).
What is Hafnium and what does it do?
Hafnium can be found in zirconium-containing mineral zirconium. Hafnium shares many similarities with zirconium in nature. HfO2 content in zircon is between 0.5-2 %. Beryllium zircon found in secondary zirconium can contain up to 15 percent HfO2. A metamorphic stone containing more than 5% of HfO2 is also available. Both minerals have very small reserves, and they have never been used by the industry. Hafnium is recovered mostly in the production of zirconium.
The hafnium melting process is similar to that of zirconium and can be divided into 5 steps.
First, the ore is decomposed. The first method is to chlorinate zircon in order to get (Zr Hf)Cl4. At 600, the zircon melts with zircon and NaOH. Approximately 90% of (Zr Hf O2) is transformed into Na2 Zr Hf O3, while SiO2 turns to Na2SiO3 which is then removed by water. Na2 (Zr,Hf)O3 after being dissolved with HNO3 can be used to separate zirconium from hafnium. The colloid SiO2 makes extraction with solvents and separation difficult. 3Sinter the K2SiF6 and obtain K2(Zr, Hf )F6 after water immersion. The solution is able to separate zirconium from hafnium through fractional crystallization.
Separation of hafnium from zirconium is done by using the HNO3 and TBP (tributylphosphate) systems. Multi-stage fractionation using a difference in the vapor pressure between HfCl4 (ZrCl4) and ZrCl4 (ZrCl4) melts at high pressure (above twenty atmospheres) is a technology that has been studied for ages. This can eliminate the second chlorination and reduce costs. Due to the corrosion of (Zr, Hf )Cl4 as well as HCl it is difficult to find fractionation columns that are suitable. They will also decrease the quality of ZrCl4 or HfCl4 while increasing the purification costs.
The fourth step is purification of HfCl4 and magnesium reduction. The fourth stage is the purification of HfCl4 followed by magnesium reduction. This is the same process as purification and reduction ZrCl4 and the semi-finished product obtained is crude sponge Hafnium. The fifth step involves vacuum distillation to remove MgCl2 as well as recover the excess metal magnesium. The final product will be sponge metal hafnium. If the reducing agents are sodium or magnesium instead, the fifth step will be water immersion.
To avoid spontaneous combustion, take extra care to remove the hafnium crucible sponge. The sponge hafnium pieces need to be broken up into small pieces. These pieces will be used as electrodes for consumables. It is also important to avoid spontaneous combustion when breaking the sponge hafnium. The iodide decomposition technique is used to purify sponge hafnium in a similar way as zirconium and titanium. Control conditions differ slightly from zirconium. The temperature of the sponge hafnium in the iodination chamber is 600degC. Meanwhile, the temperature of the wire hot at the center is 1600degC. . Hafnium is processed and formed by forging and extrusion. Hafnium is primarily used to produce control rods for reactors.
Hafnium application
Pure hafnium exhibits plasticity, is easy to process, has high temperature resistance, and resists corrosion. It is an important element in the nuclear energy industry. Hafnium, with its large thermal neutron section, is a perfect neutron absorption device that can be used for atomic reactors as a control rod or protection device. Hafnium is used in rocket propellers. In the electrical industry, cathodes for X ray tubes can also be produced. The alloy hafnium is used in the manufacture of tool steel, resistance materials and rocket nozzles. Hafnium adds heat resistance to heat-resistant alloys like tungsten and molybdenum. HFC’s high melting and hardness make it a suitable cemented carbide. The melting temperature of 4TaC*HfC, the highest melting point compound ever known, is 4215degC.
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