Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Titanium-Boron super thermite

symboom - 15-3-2017 at 21:28

just got some titanium powder and boron powder
Titanium diboride is produced from the worlds hottest pyrotechnic reaction
What is the best way to start the thermite
Also it is known as the hottest pyrotechnic
Reaction does anyone know how hot it burns.

[Edited on 16-3-2017 by symboom]

j_sum1 - 15-3-2017 at 21:40

I don't think this is technically a thermite. A thermite is a reaction between a reactive metal and the oxide of a less reactive metal.
You could look up the HoF of titanium boride. That plus some heat capacity calculations gives you a ceiling value for the temperature attained.

symboom - 19-3-2017 at 03:03

Extremely difficult to ignite even boron potassium chlorate was not working
Interesting
Boron reacts very fast with potassium permanganate like a fiash powder but burns very slow like smoldering charcoal slow in normal atmosphere
Titanium was not as very reactive with Potassium Permanganate

So I see a set up here the more titanium the slower the reaction the more boron the faster it reacts

Tried adding magnesium did not help

Titanium diboride is formed after an extremely hot reaction
Just need to reach initial temperature first

Zinc powder did not react with the potassium permanganate

Just using butane torch for heating

PirateDocBrown - 19-3-2017 at 05:45

If you've got KMnO4 mixed with your Ti/B mixture, why not get it started with a drop of glycerin?

MineMan - 6-4-2020 at 01:29

How did this turn out?

symboom - 6-4-2020 at 19:25

This is an old thread it turned out terrible bought titanium and boron powder just for this too. I could not get it to sustain combustion gave up on it.
Boron also does not burn very well on its own it's very slow
Didn't use glycern because it might lower the starting temperature.

Excerpt from
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrotechnic_initiator
Titanium-boron
Titanium-boron composition is one of the hottest pyrotechnic reactions in common usage. It is solid-state, gasless. It can be used as a pyrotechnic initiator or for heating confined gas to perform mechanical work.

Anyone else hopefully could get this to work.

[Edited on 7-4-2020 by symboom]

wg48temp9 - 7-4-2020 at 02:48

Quote: Originally posted by symboom  
This is an old thread it turned out terrible bought titanium and boron powder just for this too. I could not get it to sustain combustion gave up on it.
Boron also does not burn very well on its own it's very slow
Didn't use glycern because it might lower the starting temperature.

Excerpt from
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrotechnic_initiator
Titanium-boron
Titanium-boron composition is one of the hottest pyrotechnic reactions in common usage. It is solid-state, gasless. It can be used as a pyrotechnic initiator or for heating confined gas to perform mechanical work.

Anyone else hopefully could get this to work.

[Edited on 7-4-2020 by symboom]


Given that titanium, titanium oxide, boron and titanium diboride melt well over 1000C but a titanium boron reaction only reaches 1000C unless the the partcle size is very small such that significant diffusion occurs at 1000C I don't see how it would be self sustaining at room temperature.

So you would need very fine powder. Possibly heating the whole charge prior to ignition may help.

The claim that it is the hottest pyrotechnic reaction appears wrong. Iron oxide aluminium thermites can reach about 3,000C.