Densification, microstructures, and mechanical properties of (Zr, Ti)(C, N) ceramics fabricated by spark plasma sintering

Microstructures and Enhanced Mechanical Properties of (Zr, Ti)(C, N)-Based Nanocomposites Fabricated by Reactive Hot-Pressing at Low Temperature

“…Even though they had a low RD, these were the finest grain sizes in the sintered ceramics. The ZrC-TiCN ceramics prepared by Liang et al showed a significant reduction in grain size since the Ti-rich solid solution was present [ 13 ], and the same phenomenon was found in ZrC-TiC ceramics [ 17 , 34 ]. Hence, it is thought that the presence of a Ti-rich solid solution in the ceramic matrix inhibits grain growth.…”

“…Similar phenomena have also occurred in other studies. Liang et al [ 13 ] prepared the ceramic of the same composition with an RD of 96.1% by SPS at 2000 °C. They then measured nitrogen content under this composition, and the result showed that the loss of the nitrogen element reached 15 wt% after sintering.…”

“…The mechanical properties of monolithic ZrC, TiCN, and ZrC-SiC, and the ZrC-TiCN composites examined by the authors in [ 12 , 13 , 33 , 34 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ], in addition to the results of this work, are summarized in Table 4 . Compared to ZrC and TiCN [ 34 , 42 ], (Zr, Ti)(C, N) and (Ti, Zr)(C, N) ceramics [ 12 , 13 ] exhibited higher hardness due to the formation of complete solid solutions when sintered at high temperatures. The hardness of (Zr, Ti)(C, N) ceramics increases significantly with solid solubility.…”

“…The flexural strength of Z50T was 297 ± 49 MPa lower than that of pure ZrC and (Zr, Ti)(C, N) [ 13 ] ceramics due to the poor RD. As Si was introduced into the ZrC-TiC 0.5 N 0.5 system, the ceramics possessed a higher strength.…”

“…However, the densification temperature of ZrC is very high due to its strong covalent bond and low self-diffusion coefficient, which limits its application. Adding transition metal carbide, nitride, and carbonitride such as TiC, TiN, and TiCN to the ZrC matrix to form solid solutions can improve sintering performance [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. The formation of a solid solution can promote densification, and the lattice distortion caused by a solid solution can produce a solid solution strengthening effect [ 14 , 15 ].…”