Fabrication of Ti3SiC2-based ceramic matrix composites by a powder-free SHS technique

A powder-free technique for fabrication of Ti₃SiC₂-based composite ceramics via self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) is developed. The essence of the method is that the SHS-compaction of a multilayer stack comprised alternating layers of titanium foils and polymer films filled with either microsized silicon carbide particles or microsized silicon carbide particles mixed with charcoal particles. It is shown that SHS-compaction of non-powder materials can be used to synthesize dense particulate-reinforced ceramic matrix composites of Ti₃SiC₂TiSi₂SiC_p. Effects of the initial reactant composition and the synthesis conditions on the microstructure of the prepared materials are discussed.