Aqueous tape casting of boron carbide ceramic

An environmental friendly aqueous tape casting process has been introduced to fabricate B4C green tapes. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) and a mixture of waterborne epoxy emulsions and anionic aliphatic urethanes emulsions were selected as the dispersant and binder, respectively. The influence of pH value on the zeta potential of ceramic suspensions has been investigated, and the dispersant content added has been optimized based on the rheological behaviors of B4C slurries. The green sheets showed homogeneous microstructure with high flexibility and enough strength for the subsequent cutting and lamination. After sintering at 2100 °C, dense B4C ceramics can be achieved. The relative density and the flexural strength of the sintered samples were 96.8% and 636±70 MPa, respectively.