Preparation of a B4C hollow microsphere through gel-casting for an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) target. Issue 1 (January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Ruichong; Shi, Qiwu; Su, Lin; Yang, Mao; Huang, Zhangyi; Shi, Yanli; Zhang, Qinghua; Liao, Zhijun; Lu, Tiecheng
• Is Part Of: Ceramics international. Volume 43:Issue 1(2017)Part A
• Page Start: 571
• Page End: 577
• Publication Date: 2017-01
• Subjects: B4C hollow microsphere -- Gel-casting -- Inertial confined fusion; Ceramics -- Periodicals; Céramique industrielle -- Périodiques; Ceramics; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 666
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2016.09.196
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0272-8842

Abstract

Abstract: B4 C hollow microspheres have been proposed to be a promising target pellet for inertial confinement fusion (ICF). However, the preparation of a B4 C hollow microsphere is challenging and has been rarely reported. In this study, we developed a gel-casting method followed by a calcining process to fabricate a core-shell structured B4 C microsphere on a molybdenum core. The microstructure, stoichiometry, surface roughness, and wall thickness of the microsphere was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray photography. The results indicated that a core-shell structured microsphere with uniform microstructure and high strength were obtained by gel-casting, accompanied by calcining at 1400 °C. The diameter of the molybdenum core was 2 mm, and the wall thickness was approximately 100–180 µm. It should be noted that the main phase of core-shell structured microsphere was B4 C, with a small amount of residual carbon and B2 O3 . The core-shell structured B4 C microsphere was subsequently processed by laser drilling and corrosion to obtain the B4 C hollow microsphere. It was indicated that the B4 C hollow microsphere has respectable corrosion resistance. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) analysis demonstrates that the B4 C hollow microsphere exhibits outer and inner surface roughness of 197 nm rms and 19.3 nm rms based on a 5 µm square scan, respectively. This study provides a new method for preparing a high quality B4 C hollow microsphere, which have potential application as a target pellet for ICF.