Aluminum carbide, also known as three-carbon four-aluminum, has a molecular formula of AL4C3, which is a kind of aluminum carbide. It is a light yellow-brown, hard, and transparent rhombohedral crystal. It is an ionic crystal and does not conduct electricity at room temperature.
A small amount of aluminum carbide is a common impurity in calcium carbide. When metal aluminum is smelted by electrolysis, graphite electrodes are often corroded to obtain a small amount of aluminum carbide. Among the metal matrix composites or carbon fibers that use aluminum as the matrix and increase the strength through carbides, aluminum carbide often becomes an undesirable product. For example, carbon fiber and aluminum matrix composites can react above 500℃. If it is covered with a layer of titanium boride, the chemical reaction can be inhibited. In the silicon carbide reinforced aluminum-based composite material, the chemical reaction between silicon carbide and aluminum melt produces a layer of aluminum carbide covering the surface of the silicon carbide particles, thereby reducing the strength of the material. By using a suitable oxide or nitride to form a silicon coating on the surface of the silicon carbide particles, the tendency for such reactions to occur can be reduced.
Aluminum carbide Al4C3 is prepared by direct combination of two elemental substances at high temperature. First prepare a mixture consisting of 1 part heavy smoke black and 6 parts heavy aluminum powder, moisten the mixture with pine essential oil, put a tight layer in a clay crucible, and spread a layer of carbon powder on it. The crucible should be covered with a lid, and all the gaps should be smeared with refractory soil mixed with asbestos fibers. Then, after placing the crucible with the mixture in an oven for pre-drying, the mixture is fired at a temperature not lower than 1200℃ for 30 minutes. A higher temperature can make the reaction proceed better. After cooling, the product is treated with dilute hydrochloric acid (or alkaline solution) under cooling to remove excess aluminum. The aluminum carbide obtained as a fine crystalline powder is washed with water to remove aluminum chloride, then the water is quickly washed away with alcohol, and the product is placed in a drying box at a temperature of 80-90℃ for drying. The product contains a large amount of aluminum nitride.
Pure aluminum carbide is colorless, but the products made by the above method often have different colors due to impurities in the raw materials. When the calculated amount of the mixture of aluminum and soot is calcined in hydrogen, a pure product without aluminum nitride can be obtained. This calcination should be carried out at a temperature of 1800～1900℃ for 2～3h. The obtained product is ground and calcined again at the above temperature.
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