Date of Award
12-1-2016
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Engineering Science
First Advisor
Koc, Rasit
Abstract
This dissertation discusses the synthesis, processing, and characterization of titanium carbide (TiC) and titanium diboride (TiB2) based materials for structural and electronic application. A series of TiB2 and TiC-TiB2 powders was prepared through a novel carbon coated precursors method. Reaction process, phase evolution, and microstructures were analyzed and characterized. The synthesized powders have the advantages of fine particle size (nano to submicron grade, 100nm to 800nm), high purity (low levels of contaminations such as free carbon and oxygen), loose agglomeration, and high surface area (~2.5 m2/g to 7.2 m2/g). Using the synthesized powders, three categories of composites were prepared: (1) TiB2-TiC-Ni composites with improved mechanical properties for structural applications; (2) TiB2-TiNiFeCrCoAl high-entropy alloy (HEA) composites with enhanced hardness and toughness for structural application; (3) TiC-Ti3Al based composites with good electrical and oxidation properties as the interconnect in solid oxide fuel cell. The author focuses on the sintering mechanism, microstructure and interface, reactions, and properties characterizations of above three types of composites. Correlations of processing-microstructures-properties are discussed and established based on scientific observation.
Access
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