In-situ synthesis of ZrC in Cu melts using the graphite as the source of C

In this work, ZrC particles have been successfully synthesized in the Cu melts using graphite as the source of C. It is considered that the instantaneous reaction between Zr and C which can realize the reactive wetting of Cu and graphite is attributed to the effective introduction of graphite into the melts. However, because it is impossible that all the graphite can contact with Zr in the mixture by the present method, only a fraction of graphite can be reactive wetted and the others will be burned out. As a result, when the Zr/C atomic ratio is 1:1 in the raw Zr-G mixture, Zr will ultimately be excessive for the formation of ZrC. Increasing the Zr/C ratio in the mixture is one of the effective methods to introducing more graphite into the melts. It is found that, besides the synthesis of more ZrC particles, the morphology, size and distribution of ZrC can also be remarkably improved with the Zr/C ratio increasing.