Synthesis reactions for Ti3AlC2 through pulse discharge sintering Ti/Al4C3/TiC powder mixture

A powder mixture of Ti/Al4C3/TiC (molar ratio: 7:1:3) is utilized for the synthesis of ternary compound Ti3AlC2 at 1250–1500 °C. Almost single-phase Ti3AlC2 is obtained after sintering at 1400 °C for 15 min. The typical microstructure of Ti3AlC2 consists of plate-like grains with size of ∼5–10 μm in width and more than 50 μm in length. The intermediate phases of AlTi3, Ti3AlC and Ti2AlC are found during the reactive sintering process and the reactions for the Ti3AlC2 phase formation are proposed.