Synthesis of Ti₃SiC₂ bulks by infiltration method

T₃SiC₂ bulks have been synthesized by infiltrating Si liquid into porous precursor pellets composed of solid TiC and Ti powders. Silicon pellets were placed at the bottom of the precursor pellets as the liquid source. The starting compositions can be represented by the formula 2TiC + Ti + xSi, where x = 1.0, 1.2, 1.5 and 1.8, respectively. The phase formation and microstructure of the bulks were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) system. The results demonstrated that the TiC/Ti precursor pellet could only react with Si completely when the x value is 1.8. Impurities SiC, Ti-Si binary compounds and Ti₈C₅ appeared along the silicon diffusion direction. It is found that the compositions of impurities strongly depended on the Si-concentration. Reaction mechanism of this Ti ₃SiC₂ infiltration synthesis has also been discussed based on the Si-concentration changes on the diffusion path.