Synthesis of ultra-fine hafnium carbide powders combining the methods of liquid precursor conversion and plasma activated sintering

Ultra-fine hafnium carbide (HfC) powders were synthesized using a novel method combining liquid precursor conversion and plasma activated sintering (PAS). Solution-based processing was used to achieve a fine-scale mixing of the reactants, and further treatment by PAS allowed fast formation of HfC. We investigated the effect of the type of acid used during the liquid precursor conversion on the synthesized powders, where mixtures were prepared using salicylic acid, citric acid, or a combination of these. The results show that pure HfC powders (with an average particle sizes of 350 nm) were obtained at a relatively low temperature (1550 °C) using a HfOCl2·8H2O precursor with the mixed acids. The oxygen content of the synthesized powders was only 0.97 wt%. The type of acid had a significant effect on the synthesis product. When using only citric acid, the temperature required to produce pure hafnium carbide increased to 1700 °C. In the case of a salicylic acid precursor, pure HfC was not obtained, even at a synthesis temperature of 1700 °C.