Fabrication of metastable dual-phase Mo2C-20 mass%Ni cermet through carbon content control and rapid cooling and its transverse rapture strength

• Published in: International journal of refractory metals & hard materials 2021-08, Vol.98, p.105561, Article 105561
• Main Authors: Nakayama, Hiroyuki, Ozaki, Kimihiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon; Carbon content; Cermets; Cooling; Cooling rate; Hard material; Hard materials; Mechanical properties; Metal carbides; Molybdenum carbide; Transition metal carbide; Transition metals; η-Phase
• ISSN: 0263-4368; 2213-3917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2021.105561

Mo2C is one of the transition metal carbides exhibiting several desirable properties and is thus used in applications requiring hard materials. However, a dual-phase Mo2C based cermet has never been reported. In this study, a Mo2C-20 mass%Ni dual-phase cermet was fabricated by controlling the total carbon content and performing rapid cooling. An increase in the carbon content and the use of a higher cooling rate suppressed the formation of the η-phase, resulting in a metastable Mo2C-Ni dual-phase cermet. The transverse rapture strength of the cermet after sintering in vacuum and N2 was 1.7 and 2.0 GPa, respectively. Furthermore, fracturing in the sample was initiated at the micropores near the tension side, and the fracture mode was transgranular. The results of this study should aid efforts to develop other dual-phase cermets that show good mechanical properties. •We report fabrication of metastable dual-phase Mo2C-Ni cermet.•Metastable cermet is formed through carbon control and rapid cooling.•Eta-phase formation is suppressed in fabricated metastable cermet.•Hence, fabricated cermet shows high TRS (2 GPa).•This value is as high as those of conventional cermets.