Preparation and Properties of B4C Ceramic Tapes by Aqueous Tape-Casting

B4C ceramic tapes were prepared by aqueous tape-casting with boron carbide powders as starting material, deionized water as solvent, polymine (PEI) as dispersant, polyethylene glycol (PEG) as plasticizer, poval (PVA) or gelatin as binders. The influences of pH, dispersant content, kind and content of binder on the stability and rheological property of tape slurries were studied. The experimental results indicated that, when the pH was ranged in 3-4, the slurries with good stability and good rheology could be obtained with 0.8 wt% PEI, 4.0 wt% PVA or 6.5 wt% gelatin. PVA as binder made cast tape with certain strength, and gelatin as binder made cast tape with poor strength.