Experimental evidence of copper insertion in a crystallographic structure of Ti3SiC2 MAX phase

Chemical interaction of Ti3SiC2 substrate with silver–copper (Ag–Cu) melt is studied after several minutes of contact at 800 °C and 900 °C. Experimental evidence of Cu insertion into the crystallographic structure of Ti3SiC2 is given both by X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (composition is about Ti47Cu8Si13C32) and by electronic diffraction patterns obtained by transmission electronic microscopy for single grains. Moreover, the X-ray diffraction pattern shows that insertion of Cu induces a slight increase in the lattice parameters and a modification of peak intensities.