Experimental Study on Phase Transformation Between MgB2 and MgB4

Using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), we have investigated the reaction between MgB₄ and Mg in its solid, liquid, and gas physical states. The XRD results indicate that the reaction of MgB₄+Mg=2MgB₂ always occurs independently of the different states of Mg. DSC measurements show that the solid–solid reaction MgB₄( s )+Mg( s )=2MgB₂( s ), the Mg melting Mg( s )→Mg( l ), and the Mg volatilization occur in turn with increasing temperature for mixed (MgB₄+Mg) powder with a nominal stoichiometry of MgB₂. SEM observations indicate that the resulting synthesized MgB₂ samples, obtained from the MgB₄+Mg mixtures, have a denser microstructure than those obtained directly from Mg+B mixtures. On the basis of XRD, DSC, and SEM results, a kinetic model for the reaction between MgB₄ and Mg is proposed.