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Low-temperature instability of Ti2SnC: A combined transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and x-ray diffraction investigations

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Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations were conducted on the hot-pressed Ti2SnC bulk ceramic. Microstructure features of bulk Ti2SnC ceramic were characterized by using TEM, and a needle-shaped β-Sn precipitation was observed inside Ti2SnC grains with the orientation relationship: (0001) \(Ti<Subscript>2</Subscript>SnC //\) (200) Sn and \(Ti<Subscript>2</Subscript>SnC //\) [001] Sn. With the combination of DSC and XRD analyses, the precipitation of metallic Sn was demonstrated to be a thermal stress-induced process during the cooling procedure. The reheating temperature, even as low as 400 °C, could trigger the precipitation of Sn from Ti2SnC, which indicated the low-temperature instability of Ti2SnC. A substoichiometry Ti2SnxC formed after depletion of Sn from ternary Ti2SnC phase. Under electron beam irradiation, metallic Sn was observed diffusing back into Ti2SnxC. Furthermore, a new Ti7SnC6 phase with the lattice constants of a = 0.32 and c = 4.1 nm was identified and added in the Ti-Sn-C ternary system.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Outstanding Young Scientist Foundation (to Y.C. Zhou) under Grant No. 59925208 and the Natural Sciences Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 50672102, 90403027, and 50302011.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China

    J. Zhang, B. Liu, J. Y. Wang & Y. C. Zhou

  2. Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China

    J. Zhang, B. Liu, J. Y. Wang & Y. C. Zhou

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  1. J. Zhang
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  2. B. Liu
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  4. Y. C. Zhou
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Correspondence to Y. C. Zhou.

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Zhang, J., Liu, B., Wang, J.Y. et al. Low-temperature instability of Ti2SnC: A combined transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and x-ray diffraction investigations. Journal of Materials Research 24, 39–49 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2009.0012

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