Boron carbide powder was synthesized by sol-gel polycondensation of boric acid with
citric acid. The starting materials of Serbian origin were dissolved in water and mixed
homogeneously until a precomposite gel was formed, which was converted into cryogels after
freeze-drying. Pyrolysing and subsequent heat treatment of these cryogels resulted in boron carbide
materials. Characterization by nitrogen adsorption showed that the precomposite cryogels and the
composite powders were micro and mesoporous materials with large surface areas. Materials have
been analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The Rietveld
refinement was employed to get the structural information of the synthesized powder. The results
show that the obtained carbide powder is composed of nearly equiaxed particles of narrow size
distribution.
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