Investigation on microstructure and properties of TiCx-graphite/Cu composites fabricated by a novel in-situ reactive synthesis

TiCx-graphite/Cu composites were prepared by spark plasma sintering using copper-coated graphite powder, copper powder, and Ti2SnC powder as raw materials. The phase composition, microstructure, relative density, hardness, and conductivity of the composites prepared with 25, 30, 35, and 40 wt% Ti2SnC were studied in this paper. The results show that TiCx would be synthesized from Ti2SnC in situ during the sintering process, and Sn atoms diffused out from Ti2SnC and into the Cu matrix. The relative density and of hardness the composites prepared with different Ti2SnC content was above 93% and 65 HSD, respectively. The conductivity of the composites decreased from 1.696 x 10(7) S m(-1) to 9.380 x 10(6) S m(-1) with the Ti2SnC content increasing from 25 to 40 wt%.