Young Scientists of Russia and Belorus to Create New Technology for Preparation of Superhard Composites

Research conducted by Russian and Belorussian young scientists has been granted by the I UMNIK Russia and Belarus International Contest. Within the joint project with the A.V. Luikov Heat and Mass Transfer Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, TPU PhD student Pavel Povalyaev will develop a technology for chromium(III) boride (CrB) preparation to create composite materials with high corrosion resistance, which can be applied in the oil-producing industry. The technology is based on the method of high-temperature electric arc synthesis. This is a groundbreaking technology, which has not been applied for CrB synthesis before.

 

 

 

CrB is a superhard and refractory material with wide potential application in the oil-producing industry. CrB can be applied in the production of tool bits for well drilling and sputtering of protective coatings extending product life cycle, as well as becoming an alternative to nowadays-applied nitrides and carbides.

 

Pavel Povalyaev, a PhD student of the TPU School of Computer Science and Robotics, proposed the new efficient method of CrB preparation using arc discharge plasma in the open air. This technology is more efficient than already existing ones in power and time consumption and at the same time, it is economically beneficial. A vacuum-free electric arc reactor for the preparation of superhard materials, developed by experts of the TPU School of Energy and Power Engineering, allows the implementation of this technology.

 

“Boron (Br) and chrome (Cr) in the powder condition are used raw materials. Indiscrete mass is necessary for these substances to react with each other. The technology is similar to a welding one: a short circuit occurs in the installation and arc plasma emerges, meanwhile the process is accompanied by high temperatures. Under the temperatures and with the use of the reagents, a chemical reaction occurs: the powder begins to agglomerate and an alloy forms.

 

At the same time, we can adjust such parameters as exposure current and exposure time, what affects the properties of the prepared alloy,” comments young scientist Pavel Povalyaev.

 

The research aims at finding an optimal correlation between Br and Cr and upgrading the technology in that way to synthesize the powder with the desired properties.

 

At the moment, an experiment part of the research work is being carried out. After the optimal technology is obtained, colleagues from the A.V. Luikov Heat and Mass Transfer Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus will join the project implementation. They will develop methods of preparation of composite materials based on Br and Cr, study their properties and opportunities for further application in the industry.