Reactive consolidation of layered-ternary Ti2AlN ceramics by spark plasma sintering of a Ti/AlN powder mixture

A reactive consolidation process for preparing ternary Ti2AlN ceramics was investigated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). A Ti/AlN powder mixture with a molar ratio of 2:1 was consolidated at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1450 °C. The phase composition and microstructure evolution during the process were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). A series of intermediate phases, namely TiN, Ti3Al, Ti3AlN and TiAl were indentified, which revealed a reaction pathway towards the formation of Ti2AlN.