Electric arc vacuumless synthesis of IV–V group transition metal carbides

Refractory transition metal carbides are of interest due to their high melting point and hardness. This work demonstrates the synthesis of transition metal carbides, such as TiC, VC, ZrC, NbC, HfC, and TaC, by vacuumless electric arc method. Numerical simulation of heat transfer processes in the reaction zone was implemented to predict the parameters (temperature and reaction duration) ensuring synthesis and dominance of the corresponding metal carbide phases over by-products. The obtained parameters were used for a series of experiments conducted to confirm the production of transition metal carbides under specified conditions during arc discharge plasma synthesis. The fabricated materials were analyzed by X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques in order to assess the parameters of the structure, chemical composition, and particle morphology of the synthesized products. The oxidation properties of each monocarbide were studied by differential thermal analysis, thermal gravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry.