Low-temperature synthesis of Ti3Al(Sn)C2 solid solution using replacement reaction.

The synthesis of Ti₃Al(Sn)C₂ usually uses elemental powder as the raw material, and the synthesis temperature is up to 1500 °C. Low-temperature ceramic sintering is the key to inhibit the formation of competitive phases and reduce the ceramic sintering cost. In this paper, a new method of low-temperature synthesis of Ti₃Al(Sn)C₂ was proposed, and high-purity Ti₃Al(Sn)C₂ sample was successfully prepared at low temperature by using the replacement reaction method. Research shows that the temperature of 600 °C for 5 h is the optimal process conditions for Ti₃Al(Sn)C₂ synthesis. Furthermore, the introduction of Sn changed the high-temperature oxidation resistance of Ti₃AlC₂. Compared to pristine Ti₃AlC₂, the oxidation resistance of Ti₃Al(Sn)C₂ at 900 °C increases by 33%. The comparative analysis of the formation energy of replacement Ti sites and Al sites shows that the formation energy of Sn-replaced Al sites is lower. These results have broad reference implications for low-temperature synthesis of other MAX phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]