The effect of the TiC particle size on the preferred oxidation temperature for self-healing of oxide ceramic matrix materials

The effect of particle size on the oxidation kinetics of TiC powders is studied. Different sizes of TiC powder ranging from nanometre to submillimetre sizes are investigated. The samples are heated at different heating rates from room temperature up to 1200 °C in dry synthetic air. The Kissinger method for analysis of non-isothermal oxidation is used to estimate the activation energy for oxidation of the powders and to identify the active temperature window for efficient self-healing. The master curve plotting method is used to identify the model which best describes the oxidation of TiC powders, and the Senum and Yang method is used to approximate the value for the Arrhenius constant. The oxidation of TiC proceeds via the formation of oxycarbides, anatase and then finally the most stable form: rutile. The activation energy is found to be a strong function of the particle size for particle sizes between 50 nm and 11 µm and becomes constant at larger particle sizes. The data demonstrate how the minimal healing temperature for oxide ceramics containing TiC as healing particles can be tailored between 400 and 1000 °C by selecting the right average TiC particle size.