Morphological evolution of TiC particles with different stoichiometries by hydrofluoric acid etching treatment

Abstract

AbstractThe effects of hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching time on the morphology of the titanium carbide (TiC) particles with different stoichiometries were investigated. TiC particles with two C/Ti molar ratios of 0.5 and 1.0 were prepared by mechanical alloying. Then, the powders were immersed in the HF solution for different times of 48, 96, and 142 h. Results showed that the morphology of TiC particles greatly changed after HF etching. In general, a roughing phenomenon was observed as a function of the immersion time in the HF solution. The irregular shape of the TiC particles changed to the spherical shapes by increasing the HF etching time. However, the changing tendency of TiC particles with different stoichiometries was different. The shape of prepared powders with a C/Ti molar ratio of 1.0 was polyhedron at the initial stages of HF treatment, while the shape of prepared powders with a C/Ti molar ratio of 0.5 was near‐spherical. However, with increasing the immersion time, the shape of both samples changed to a spherical one. The degree of roughing phenomenon of the prepared powders with a C/Ti molar ratio of 0.5 was lower than that of the prepared powders with a C/Ti molar ratio of 1.0.