Synthesis of Ti ₃ SiC ₂ MAX phase powder through molten salt method

Abstract Titanium silicon carbide (Ti ₃ SiC ₂ ) MAX phase powder was synthesized from elemental reactants using the molten salt synthesis (MSS) method. Optimum experimental parameters were also investigated to determine the purity and synthesis pathway of the Ti ₃ SiC ₂ MAX phase. The results showed that Ti ₃ SiC ₂ was not synthesized using carbon black as the carbon source in the starting materials because of the high quantity of TiC formed along with the TiSi ₂ silicide phase. However, Ti ₃ SiC ₂ was successfully synthesized in a relatively high purity (93%) at 1200°C for 2 h using graphite as the source of carbon because of the formation of TiC and Ti ₅ Si ₃ intermediate phases. The Ti ₅ Si ₃ silicide phase was found to play a crucial role in the formation of the Ti ₃ SiC ₂ MAX phase using the MSS method. Moreover, applying a pressure of 150 MPa to the prepared samples and using the eutectic mixture of NaCl–KCl (molar ratio: 1:1) instead of NaCl also resulted in the higher formation of the Ti ₃ SiC ₂ MAX phase. The formation mechanism of Ti ₃ SiC ₂ was determined to be the reaction among Ti ₅ Si ₃ , TiC, and residual carbon through the template‐growth and dissolution–precipitation mechanisms that occurred at different stages of the synthesis process.