Surface characterisation and wettability of titanium diboride by aluminium at low temperature

Titanium diboride (TiB2) represents a perspective material for innovations in aluminium technology. This refractory ceramic material has superior thermal and electrical conductivity and considerable chemical stability at high temperatures (>1000°C). Furthermore, excellent wettability by molten aluminium at operating temperatures is required for the application of TiB2 as an inert cathode in aluminium electrolysis process. The wettability of various TiB2-based materials has been studied in literature at different conditions in temperature ranges above to 1000°C. The present paper surveys the current state of knowledge on aluminium wettability of TiB2 at high temperatures and examines the wettability of pure hot-press sintered TiB2 material with different values of surface roughness at low temperatures, i.e. below 900°C.