TiC-modified carbon nanotubes, TiC nanotubes and TiC nanorods: Synthesis and characterization

In the present study, single-phase TiC nanotubes and nanorods were synthesized by a novel pressureless spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and titanium powders at 1050 °C for 5 min. Moreover, formation mechanism of the resultant nanomaterials was clarified in detail. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns and Raman spectroscopy were conducted to study the microstructure and nature of the produced samples. XRD patterns indicated that all powders reacted to form TiC after applying 1050 °C. In addition, according to the TGA results, a significant increment in thermal properties was achieved compared to the pristine CNTs.