Synthesis of in situ TiC nanoparticles in liquid aluminum: the effect of sintering temperature

In this study, in situ TiC nanoparticles with a diameter range of 70-400 nm have been successfully synthesized in liquid aluminum by conventional hot-pressing method. The effect of production temperature on the formation of the TiC phase during sintering was investigated by differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning and transmission electron microscopies. The results show that the synthesizing temperature has a great effect on the formation of the TiC. Also, increase of producing temperature accelerates the formation of in situ TiC nanoparticles and decreases the portion of Al3Ti intermetallic phase in the liquid aluminum.