Synthesis of MoSi2-TiSi2 pseudobinary alloys by reactive sintering

MoSi2-TiSi2 pseudobinary alloys are synthesized from mixtures of elemental powders of molybdenum, silicon, and titanium by reactive sintering under a pseudoisostatic pressure of 150 MPa. When the titanium content in the alloy increases from 0 to 33 at. pct, the density of the alloy decreases from approximately 6 to 4 g/cm3, while the relative density is more than 95 pct independent of the titanium content. Vickers hardness of the alloy is approximately 800 when the alloy consists of a monophase structure of α-MoSi2 or β-MoSi2. However, the hardness increases to approximately 950 when the alloy consists of a dual-phase structure of (α-MoSi2+β-MoSi2) or (β-MoSi2+γ-TiSi2). The oxidation resistance of the alloy at 773 K is approximately tripled when the titanium content increases from 0 to 1.7 at. pct, but the effect of the titanium content on the oxidation resistance becomes less remarkable as the titanium content increases.