Thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry of ceramic-metal ternary composites Al2O3-Cu-Mo

Research aimed to determine phenomena occurring in mixture of Al2O3-Cu-Mo powders during thermal treat-ment exceeding 1000 degrees C. The tool which allows to gain knowledge about changes occurring during thermal treatment is TG and DTA. DTA/TG measurements were done in argon and synthetic air in order to observe processes of oxidation and decomposition of the specimens. Research involved Al2O3-Cu-Mo samples containing 5 vol% of metallic phase. The results were compared with those for two-component systems: Al2O3-Cu and Al2O3-Mo. It has been shown that at temperatures above 430 degrees C, oxidation reactions and new phases form in samples from the Al2O3-Cu-Mo system. The thermal treatment which corresponds to sintering process of ceramic-metal composites in the absence of oxygen may result in residual carbon from the decomposition of organic additives used at forming stage of Al2O3-Cu-Mo material. CuAl2O4 spinel phase was found in composites from the Al2O3-Cu system, regardless of the type of aluminum oxide used.