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Usage

Uses

1. Nuclear Industry:
Hafnium carbide is used as a control rod material in nuclear reactors due to its high neutron absorption cross-section and resistance to high temperatures.
2. Ceramic Industry:
HfC is utilized in the preparation of ultra-high temperature ceramics, making it suitable for applications that require extreme thermal stability.
3. Organometallic Polymers:
It serves as a reactant in the synthesis of hafnium-containing organometallic polymers, which have potential applications in various industries.
4. Alloys:
Hafnium carbide is used as an additive in alloys to enhance their high-temperature properties and performance.
5. Coatings:
HfC is employed in coatings, particularly as a refractory coating in nuclear reactors, and can also be used in hard coatings applied by processes such as plasma spraying.
6. Aerospace Industry:
Due to its extremely high melting point, hafnium carbide is considered for use in rocket nozzles and scramjet components, which require materials that can withstand extreme temperatures.
7. Thermal Insulation:
HfC structural foams can be fabricated into high-temperature components or used as a thermal insulation material, taking advantage of its refractory properties.
8. Crucible Material:
Hafnium carbide can be used in a crucible form for melting hafnium oxide and other oxides, thanks to its ability to withstand high temperatures.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafnium(IV)_carbide http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2292 https://www.science.gov/topicpages/h/hafnium+carbides.html

Production Methods

Hafnium carbide is a dark gray, brittle solid. It can be prepared by heating a mixture of the elements or by reacting hafnium tetrachloride with methane at 2100 C. Sufficient quantities of hafnium oxide or hafnium metal sponge are obtained during the large-scale production of pure zirconium for nuclear reactors. On an industrial scale, hafnium carbide can be produced from the hydrided hafnium sponge at 1500–1700 ℃ or from hafnium oxide at 2000–2200 ℃ by carburization in vacuo in the presence of hydrogen. The resulting carbide contains almost the theoretical quantity of carbon (6.30% °C) and a maximum of 0.1% free carbon (219). The hafnium carbide obtained is not a true stoichiometric compound as much as a solution of carbon at specific interstitial sites of a face-centered cubic hafnium lattice.Hafnium carbide is inert to most reagents at room temperature but is dissolved by hydrofluoric acid solutions. Hafnium carbide reacts exothermally with halogens at 250–500 ℃to form hafnium tetrahalide, and to form hafnium oxide with oxygen above 500℃. In the presence of hydrogen, hafnium carbide slowly loses some of its carbon at higher temperatures.

InChI:InChI=1/CH4.Hf/h1H4;