Nano-sizing titanium into titanium carbide by 1-chlorobutane

TiC nanoparticles (average diameter 10–150 nm) were prepared by reacting bulk Ti powders (average diameter 20 μm) with gaseous 1-chlorobutane at a relatively low temperature (1073–1273 K). 1-Chlorobutane provided the carbon atom in the TiC and the chlorine atom that assisted the shrinking of the size of the original Ti powders. The apparently simple procedure is a complex heterogeneous process combining etching, deposition, and carburization reactions.