Electric Field Assisted Sintering of Ti₃SiC₂

Electric field-assisted densification of Ti₃SiC₂ powder was investigated in this paper. A signature behavior of flash sintering experiments is that the current passing through the sample increases rapidly with increasing temperature. The conductivity of Ti₃SiC₂ powder is high enough to lead current to flow through the sample even at room temperature; therefore, the current reaches its maximum value as soon as an electric field is applied. On the other hand, the variation of the power can be observed as a function of time and temperature. Such response of Ti₃SiC₂ to an electric field can be presented as an example of flash sintering in conductive ceramic materials. The compacted Ti₃SiC₂ sample sintered to 93.5% of the theoretical density at 1400 °C under a 7.5 V/mm electric field and 17 mA/mm² current density limitation. No decomposition of the phase was observed at all experiments. The microstructure of the fractured samples revealed the preservation of the laminated structure of Ti₃SiC₂.