GB936004A - Improvements in or relating to the production of sintered beryllium oxide - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for the preparation of sintered beryllium oxide comprises adding to a powder formed of a substantially anhydrous mixture of substantially pure light beryllium oxide, having a bulk density of between 0,2 and 0,3 g./cm3., and a specific surface area of at least 100,000 cm.2/g., and substantially pure heavy beryllium oxide having a bulk density between 1,0 and 1,2 g./cm.3 and a specific surface area of about 5,000 cm.2/g., a lesser quantity, generally less than 0,6% by weight, of a substantially pure alkaline earth metal oxide or carbonate or other salt which forms the oxide, with elimination of the acid radical, on heating, crushing and drying the mixture, adding a binder, for example in amount of 5-8% by weight, such as glycol stearate, agglomerating the resulting mass, for example into bricks by means of a ram, and then sintering at a temperature not exceeding about 1600 DEG C. Desirably the proportion of light and heavy oxides in the mixture is such that, after crushing for example in a ball mill, the specific surface area of the mixture is 18,000-22,000 cm.2/g. The oxides may be prepared by calcining the hydroxides, for example at about 1000 DEG C., or by thermal decomposition of oxygen-containing beryllium salts, or by hydro-thermal decomposition of halides.