Tailoring Ti3AlC2 ceramic with high anisotropic physical and mechanical properties

Textured Ti3AlC2 ceramic was successfully fabricated by a strong magnetic field alignment (SMFA) technique followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS). About 15 vol.% Al2O3 particles were formed in situ during the process. The unique combination of excellent bending strength of 1261 MPa (//c axis) and fracture toughness of 14.6 MPa m1/2 (⊥c axis) was achieved. Also, the high electrical and thermal conductivities were determined as 1.0 × 106 Ω−1 m−1 (//c axis) and 25.3 W (m K)−1 (⊥c axis), respectively.