Reaction pathways, activation energies and mechanical properties of hybrid composites synthesized in-situ from Al-TiO2-C powder mixtures

► By adding C into the Al-TiO2 system, Ti reacts with C and forms hard TiC particles. ► For the C/TiO2 = 1.0, the reinforcements comprise fine Al2O3 and TiC phases. ► The tensile strength of the composites increases from 239.2 MPa to 351.8 MPa. ► The elongation increases from 4.1% to 5.6%, suggesting an increase in toughness.