Synthesis, thermal stability, and photocatalytic activity of nanocrystalline titanium carbide

Titanium carbide (TiC) was prepared via one simple route by the reaction of metallic magnesium powders with titanium dioxide (TiO2) and potassium acetate (CH3COOK) in an autoclave at 600 °C and 8 h. Phase structure and morphology were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the product was cubic TiC, which consisted of particles with an average size of about 100 nm in diameter. The product was also studied by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and its photocatalysis. It had good thermal stability and oxidation resistance below 350 °C in air. In addition, we discovered that the cubic TiC powders exhibited photocatalytic activity in degradation of Rhodamine-B (RhB) under 500 W mercury lamp light irradiation.