Effects of tungsten and aluminum additions on the formation of molybdenum disilicide by mechanically-induced self-propagating reaction

The effects of tungsten and aluminum additions to Mo–Si system on the formation of MoSi2 by mechanically-induced self-propagating reaction in a high-energy ball mill were investigated by X-ray diffraction. The incubation time for mechanically-induced self-propagating reaction to form MoSi2 was 90 min in Mo–Si system. With the addition of tungsten to Mo–Si system, the incubation time of mechanically-induced self-propagating reaction of (Wx,Mo1−x)Si2 system was prolonged. It was due to the decrease of adiabatic temperature with increase in x, and the mechanically-induced self-propagating reaction was not observed until 150 min of high-energy milling in (Wx,Mo1−x)Si2 powder sample with x equals to 0.4. Conversely, the minor aluminum (y < 0.2 in Mo(Si1−y,Aly)2 system) substituting for silicon had shorten the incubation period and accelerated the reaction. When tungsten and aluminium were added simultaneously to Mo–Si system, the mechanically-induced self-propagating reaction was observed in (W0.1,Mo0.9)(Si0.9,Al0.1)2 sample, but it was not observed in (W0.2,Mo0.8)(Si0.8,Al0.2)2 and (W0.3,Mo0.7)(Si0.7,Al0.3)2 samples.