Enhanced oxidation resistance of low-carbon MgO-C refractories with ternary carbides: a review

The demand for low-carbon MgO-C refractories is ever growing to meet the development of advanced steelmaking technologies and efficient energy conservation. Meanwhile, to improve the oxidation resistance and inhibit the weakness of low-carbon MgO-C refractories, antioxidants are necessary. The application of ternary carbides that focused on improving the oxidation performance of MgO-C refractories has been explored, and the ternary carbides including Al4O4C, Al8B4C7, Al4SiC4, Ti2AlC, Ti3AlC2, and Ti3SiC2 have been proved effective. The crystal structure, physical properties, oxidation behavior, and synthesis of these ternary carbides were summarized, and their oxidation mechanism in assisting anti-oxidation of MgO-C refractories was discussed. In addition, the potential aspects related to the usage and development of ternary carbides in low-carbon MgO-C refractories were proposed.