Highly textured Ti2AlN ceramic prepared via thermal explosion followed by edge-free spark plasma sintering

Highly textured Ti2AlN ceramic was successfully fabricated by edge-free spark plasma sintering (EFSPS) of Ti2AlN discs synthesized by thermal explosion (TE). The orientation degree of as-sintered Ti2AlN ceramic was evaluated by X-ray diffraction and electron backscattered diffraction. It was found that the preferred orientation of Ti2AlN grains paralleled to the SPS-loading direction was along the c-axis and the Lotgering orientation factor on the textured top surface was as high asf(001) = 0.80. Due to the highly textured microstructure, the obtained Ti2A1N ceramic showed anisotropic mechanical and physical properties. The results highlight the advantages of EFSPS combined with TE technique. (C) 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published byElsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.