A novel process for synthesizing nanostructured carbides: Mechanically activated synthesis

Nanostructured SIC and TiC have been synthesized through a novel process called as mechanically activated synthesis (MAS). The basic form of the MAS process is to mechanically activate reactants (e.g., SiO2, and C for synthesizing SiC, and TiO2, and C for synthesizing TIG) at room temperature through high energy ball milling, followed by heating the milled powder mixture to high temperatures to complete the synthetic reaction. The MAS process not only produces nanostructured carbides, but also substantially reduces the time and temperature of carbothermic reduction through which carbides are formed. In this paper, synthesis of nanostructured SiC and TiC through the MAS process is described and the fundaments for this novel process are discussed.