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MAX phase materials are nano-layered, hexagonal, metal carbides, and nitrides, where M is a transition metal, A is an element of the A-group (mostly groups 13 and 14), and X is C and/or N. These phases exhibit a unique combination of properties of both metallic and ceramic materials. Physical and technological troubles usually affect the high-temperature synthesis of MAX phases, resulting in decreased yields of the MAX phase and promoting the formation of undesirable phases. For example, in the case of Ti-Al-C based MAX phases, the titanium carbide TiC and the Al3Ti, TiAl and Ti3Al intermetallic can also be formed under the synthesis process of Ti3AlC2 and Ti2AlC phases. Additionally, Al can be oxidized, and Al2O3 often occurs in resulting products. The successful preparation of MAX phases depends on various conditions such as: heating temperature, holding time, heating rate, or gas flow. In this study, the Ti-Al-C MAX phases were prepared, by high-temperature treatment of mixture of Ti, Al, and C powders. The synthesis was conveniently conducted in the furnace of thermal analyzer, which enables precisely control the heating conditions. The effect of various parameters used during the synthesis on the MAX phases formation was tested, and the resulting products were analyzed using powder X-ray diffraction.
Keywords: MAX phase, Ti3AlC2, Ti2AlC, TG/DTA analysis, phase analysis© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.