In situ reactive spark plasma sintering of WSi2/MoSi2 composites

Abstract MoSi 2 based materials have the potential for use in high temperature structural parts. In this work, WSi 2 reinforced MoSi 2 composites were successfully prepared by mechanical activation followed by in situ reactive spark plasma sintering of Mo, Si, and W elemental powders. Benefiting from the high energy raw materials prepared through ball milling, these mechanically activated reactants started to transform into MoSi 2 at 1000 °C. Full density composites were obtained at a low sintering temperature (1200 °C) within 5 min. The addition of W to the reactants led to a finer microstructure than that obtained using pure MoSi 2 , resulting in a significant improvement of mechanical properties. The Vicker's hardness of 20 vol% WSi 2 /MoSi 2 was as high as 16.47 GPa.