Production process for boron carbide coated carbon material and boron carbide coated carbon material obtained by the production process

A boron carbide coated carbon material is used for a plasma facing material of a thermonuclear reactor. The surface of a carbon material is chemically reacted with boron oxide to convert it into boron carbide. Then, it is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature of not lower than 1600degC in highly evacuated or inactive atmosphere to attain a boron carbide coated carbon material. The carbon material used is an artificial graphite or a carbon fiber reinforced carbon composite material. In the heat treatment, when the atmosphere is in vacuum, it is highly evacuated to less than 10Pa. Alternatively, in a case of inactive atmosphere, argon or helium gas each having oxygen and nitrogen content of not more than 20ppm is used. With such procedures, there can be obtained a boron carbide-coated carbon material with low content of oxygen and nitrogen impurities contained in the boron carbide coating membrane thereby hardly releasing gases. (I.N.)