SYNTHESIS OF HIGH PURITY REFRACTORY BERYLLIDES

THE PROPOSED WORK WILL EXAMINE ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR SYNTHESIS OF HIGH PURITY REFRACTORY BERYLLIDES IN EITHER POWDER, FOIL OR BULK FORM. ANALYTICAL EFFORTS AND PROCESS MODELING WILL FOCUS ON THOSE METHODS WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TWO-COMPONENT INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS OF THE REQUIRED STOICHIOMETRY WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY REDUCING THE CONTAMINATION LEVELS OR INCREASING THE PURITY OF PRODUCT MATERIALS RELATIVE TO THE STARTING MATERIALS USED. THE PHASE I EFFORT WILL RESULT IN THE PROCESS DESIGN OF ONE OR MORE SYSTEMS FOR PILOT-SCALE PRODUCTION OF HIGH PURITY REFRACTORY BERYLLIDE POWDERS, FOILS OR BULK MATERIALS IN PHASE II.