Formation of a single-phase Ti3AlC2 from a mixture of Ti, Al and TiC powders with Sn as an additive

A high purity of Ti{sub 3}AlC{sub 2} powder has been synthesized by pressureless sintering a mixture of Ti/Al/TiC/Sn (Sn as a sintering additive) powders with a mole ratio of 1:1:1:0.1 in the temperature range of 1350-1500 deg. C for 10 min in an Ar atmosphere. Sn is an effective additive and its effect on the formation of Ti{sub 3}AlC{sub 2} has been discussed. The formation mechanism of Ti{sub 3}AlC{sub 2} has been proposed. X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the samples.