Pressureless manufacturing of Cr2AlC compound and the temperature effect

In this work, facile pressureless sintering process is explored to manufacture the promising Cr2AlC MAX phase material, using three elemental powders as starting materials. The powders are mixed in a molar ratio of Cr:Al:C = 2:1.2:1, and ball-milled for particle refinement and homogenization. The powder mixture is sintered at differing temperatures from 1000 to 1400 degrees C without applying pressure. Highly pure Cr2AlC MAX phase is obtained from sintering at 1200 degrees C. The Cr2AlC compound shows laminated microstructures and high crystal quality. At other temperatures, significant amounts of secondary phases are observed. The optimized Cr2AlC compound exhibits a metallic behavior and superior oxidation resistance. The simple manufacturing method of Cr2AlC MAX phase developed in this work may also be applied for fabrication of a wider range of MAX phases.

Automated summary

This work explores a facile pressureless sintering process to manufacture high-quality Cr2AlC MAX phase material, featuring laminated microstructures and superior oxidation resistance.