Ti3SiC2 powder synthesis from Ti/Si/TiC powder mixtures

Various heat treatments in vacuum were carried out on free Ti/Si/TiC powder mixtures with molar ratios of 2:2:3 and 1:1:2, in order to reveal the effect of original powder composition on the Ti3SiC2 powder synthesis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used for the identification of phase constitutions and the characterization of the synthesized powder. During the synthesis process, Ti5Si3 was found to be the only intermediate phase in both cases and part of which remained in the final synthesized powder together with Ti3SiC2. The optimal temperature range for the formation of Ti3SiC2 was 1210-1300 deg. C; above 1300 deg. C the content of Ti3SiC2 decreased significantly with temperature. At 1300 deg. C in the time range of 0.5-4 h, the effect of heating time on the Ti3SiC2 content was not obvious