Spark plasma sintering of Ti2AlC/TiC MAX-phase based composite ceramic materials and study of their electrochemical characteristics

• Published in: Ceramics international 2024-12, Vol.50 (24), p.53120-53128
• Main Authors: Shichalin, O.O., Ivanov, N.P., Seroshtan, A.I., Nadaraia, K.V., Simonenko, T.L., Gurin, M.S., Kornakova, Z.E., Shchitovskaya, E.V., Barkhudarov, K.V., Tsygankov, D.K., Rinchinova, V.B., Fedorets, A.N., Buravlev, I. Yu, Ognev, A.V., Papynov, E.K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ceramics; MAX phase; SPS; Ti2AlC
• ISSN: 0272-8842
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2024.10.161

A novel method for obtaining the MAX phase Ti2AlC from TiC, Al4C3, and Ti precursors has been demonstrated, involving activation of the mixture in a high-energy ball mill (HEBM) followed by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). The phase composition, mechanical characteristics, surface microstructure, and electrochemical behavior in neutral media (0.1 M Na2SO4) of heterogeneous composite ceramic materials TiC/Ti2AlC were studied as a function of sintering temperature (1200–1400 °C). SPS at 1200 °C yields materials with a relative density of 94.42 % and Ti2AlC mass content up to 57 %. These composite materials exhibit capacitive behavior according to cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) data, with a capacitance of 73 mF/g, suggesting their potential application as lead-free ceramic capacitors. Further increase in sintering temperature (1300–1400 °C) leads to increased electrical resistance and enhanced sample homogeneity.