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°C. 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°C. That is, low oxygen content (0.60–2.32 wt%) TiC could be prepared from the composite by heating above 1300°C, 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.