Effect of liquid reaction on the synthesis of Ti3SiC2 powder

Synthesis of Ti3SiC2 powder was carried out by heat treating powder mixtures of Si, TiC and coarse Ti (−150 μm) in a temperature range of 1000–1400 °C. The phase content of Ti3SiC2 in the synthesized powder was improved to 99% when heat treated at 1400 °C for 4 h. Ti–Si liquid reaction was found to occur above the binary eutectic temperature, and this liquid reaction is believed to have assisted the synthesis reaction of Ti3SiC2.