Developing high performance in titanium carbide nanocomposites containing hybrid SiC nanowire and CNT

Abstract

Lightweight titanium carbide (TiC) has garnered considerable engineering applications in various advanced manufacturing industries. However, the intrinsic brittleness of TiC significantly limited its further applications. High-toughness and damage-tolerance TiC is always highly desirable for industry. Herein, we developed high-performance TiC nanocomposites reinforced by hybrid carbon nanotube (CNT) and SiC nanowire (SiCnw) through two-step spark plasma sintering, highlighting the synergic role of CNT and SiCnw on the microstructure and properties of the TiC matrix. Specifically, CNT was helpful in maintaining the high aspect ratio of SiCnw during the sintering process, while SiCnw contributed to the homogeneous distribution of CNT throughout the TiC matrix. The flexural strength and fracture toughness were simultaneously enhanced by 48.1% and 56.9% in case of CNT/SiCnw ratio of 1:2 comparing with pure TiC, respectively. This study provided the new insight on developing high-performance TiC materials.