Synthesis of titanium carbide from a composite of TiO2 nanoparticles/methyl cellulose by carbothermal reduction

Titanium carbide (TiC) was synthesized from a composite constituted of nano-sized TiO2 particles (ca. 5 nm in diameter) and methyl cellulose (MC) via carbothermal. reduction in an Ar flow. The composite was converted into titanium oxycarbide by heating at 1050 degreesC. With the increase of heating temperature, the lattice parameter of the titanium oxycarbide phase increased while the oxygen content in the specimen decreased, especially above 1300 degreesC. That is, low oxygen content (0.60-2.32 wt%) TiC could be prepared from the composite by heating above 1300 degreesC, which was a considerably lower temperature compared to that employed in the conventional carbothermal. reduction methods that use a mixture of TiO2 and carbon powders. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.