Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis of TiC + x C Composites

TiC + xC composites comprising titanium carbide particles, unreacted carbon black particles, and a graphite nanofilm have been prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis pressing. The fused titanium carbide particles form a robust skeleton, whose voids contain carbon black particles separated from the titanium carbide particles by the graphite nanofilm. We have examined the effect of composition and temperature on the resistivity of the TiC + xC composites. The resistivity of the composites has been shown to increase with increasing carbon content. In the temperature range 300–1300 K, the temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) of the TiC + 0.25C, TiC + 0.5C, and TiC + 0.75C composites is 8.9 × 10–4, 9.5 × 10–4, and 9.7 × 10–4 K–1, respectively. In the temperature range 1000–1010 K, the resistivity of the composites remains constant as a result of the ordering of the carbon sublattice in TiC.