Spark plasma sintering of ceramic matrix composite of TiC: microstructure, densification, and mechanical properties: a review

The incessant quest in fabricating enhanced ceramic materials for use in aerospace, chemical plants, as a cutting tool, and other industrial applications has opened the way for the fabrication of ceramic-based composites with sintering additives which have been experimented to influence sinterability, microstructure, densification, and mechanical properties. The current research practices for the consolidation of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) have been in the utilization of metallic and non-metallic additives as a reinforcement for the ceramic matrix. The use of additives has a promising influence in ensuring the achievement of good microstructures and excellent properties. The use of metallic additives enhances the sinterability of CMC but it has a debilitating effect on its intrinsic mechanical properties, especially at high-temperature applications. Hence, its uses in a high-temperature application environment under high impact load are limited. Thus, the types and amount of additives to be added to a ceramic-based matrix composite depends on the type of application and properties desired to be achieved from the composites. One of the critical issues that have affected the properties of CMC is the type of powder metallurgy (PM) used for consolidation. PM has been experimented with to be efficient in manufacturing ceramic-based composites. Although, past review works have pinpointed diverse PM methods, viz, hot press, pressureless sintering, hot isostatic press, and spark plasma sintering (SPS), for manufacturing ceramics-based composites. Amidst these diverse methods, SPS has progressively been applied for the consolidation of ceramics, owning to its possibility of achieving a good sintered compact in a relatively short time with enhanced properties. This review focuses on the synthesis of TiC reinforced with sintering additives, with more attention on carbides as sintering additives. Carbide additives have the potential to improve microstructure, densification, and mechanical properties. In addition, future works on the consolidation and characterization of TiC are included in this review.