Formation of Titanium Carbide/Aluminum Oxide Nanocomposite Powder by High-Energy Ball Milling and Subsequent Heat Treatment

摘要

The preparation of titanium carbide/aluminum oxide (TiC/ Al_2O_3) nanocomposite powders from a mixture of titanium, carbon, and Al_2O3 powders via a high-energy ball milling process and subsequent heat treatment was investigated. The microstruc-ture development of the powder mixtures was monitored by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The ball milling of an elemental carbon, titanium, and Al_2O_3 powder mixture at ambient temperature resulted in the formation of TiC within 15 h of milling. With further milling of up to 25 h, the resulting powder mixture was composed of nanosized TiC particles and nanocrystalline carbon, titanium, and Al_2O_3. The nanoc-rystalline titanium and carbon were transformed into nanosized TiC particles after subsequent heat treatment. The final product was composed of nanosized TiC and microcrystalline Al_2O_3 Most of the nanosized TiC particles were located within Al_2O_3 grains.