Reaction Synthesis of Titanium Silicides via Self‐Propagating Reaction Kinetics

Abstract

Self‐propagating exothermic reactions in the titanium‐silicon system induced by mechanical milling, shock loading, and thermal ignition of elemental powder mixtures have been investigated. After an induction period of 3 h, the 5Ti + 3Si powder mixture abruptly reacted during milling to form single‐phase Ti 5 Si 3 via a mechanically induced self‐propagating reaction (MSR). Moreover, the formation of porous Ti 5 Si 3 solid indicated that the melting of powder particles had occurred during the mechanical alloying process. The Ti + Si powder mixture also reacted via the MSR mode, but the end‐product was multiphase. Shock and combustion synthesis (thermal‐explosion mode) experiments essentially produced the same result.