Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
The thermal conductivity, k, of boron carbides of various B/C ratios, two modes of preparation – hot pressed and carbothermic, and two isotopic variants of boron – 11B and normal boron 10.81B, was measured from 300 to 1023 K. The density and composition of the samples were reflected in the magnitude and temperature dependence of k, and were investigated further with scanning electron microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. While lower than theoretical density in B4C reduces k, the characteristic monotonic decline of k with increasing temperature is retained. This k-vs.-T behavior distinguishes B4C from material with larger B/C ratios for which the temperature dependence is essentially nil.