In this work ZrB2-ZrC compounds were prepared by sol-gel process. These materials were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, laser granulometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and nitrogen adsorption tests. Thermodynamic calculations were carried out using the FactSage (R) thermochemical software and databases. XRD revealed that ZrB2 and ZrC are the major phases present in the materials obtained in this study. It was observed that the relative amount of ZrB2 and ZrC in these samples can be tailored by controlling the concentration of H3BO3 in the starting solution. On one hand, laser granulometry and SEM tests revealed that the ZrB2-ZrC compounds prepared in this work show a coarse particle size distribution. On the other hand, they exhibited remarkable specific surface areas (about 150 m(2)/g).

Keywords: Sol-gel; ZrB2-ZrC compounds; Structural characterization