Nanocomposites and nanomaterials

Synthesis of Ti2AlN and Ti3AlC2 MAX-phases
Voynash V.Z., Kirian I.M., Lakhnik A.M., Rud N.D. , Perekos A.O., Rud A.D.

G. V. Kurdyumov Institute for Metal Physics of the NAS of Ukraine.
36, academician Vernadsky blvd, UA-03142 Kiev, Ukraine. 
E-mail: rud@imp.kiev.ua

Modern society heavily depends in new advanced functional materials. These materials are vital in various fields as diverse as aerospace, structural engineering, transportation, etc. MAX phases, which combine the properties of ceramics and metals are new class of modern perspective materials for industrial application.They could be fabricated through a variety of processing techniques - hot isostatic pressing, slip casting, spark plasma sintering, hot pressing, self propagating high-temperature synthesis, mechanical alloying etc. [1].
In present work we investigate a synthesis of MAX-phases Ti3AlC2 and Ti2AlN using different starting components – elemental powders and chemical compounds, respectively. The powder mixtures have been milled in the laboratory planetary ball mill Fritsch Pulverisette 6. 
The synthesis of Ti2AlN-phases from stoichiometric powder mixture AlN:2TiH2 has been performed. The ball-milled and compacted powders were sintered at 1300 °C in argon atmosphere for 2 hours. The X-ray analysis shown that synthesized material contains ~ 50% MAX-phase of Ti2AlN and ~ 50% TiN.
The MAX-phase Ti3AlC2 has been fabricated using mechanical alloying from elemental powders of Ti, Al and C. Identification and quantification of the phases has been performed using X-ray diffraction. The results testified that the Ti3AlC2 MAX-phase (~55 %) and carbide TiC (~45 %) are synthesized after 3h of milling.
Microhardness of the sintered materials as well as their catalyst properties for improving hydrogen sorption of MgH2 are investigated.
The research has been carried out under financial support of the budget themes of the G.V. Kurdyumov Institute for Metal Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine #55-16, #25-17 and the Project #17-18 “Creating of multicomponent heterophase hydrogen sorption materials based on magnesium and titanium” of the Target complex Program for Research of NAS of Ukraine “Fundamental problems of hydrogen and renewable energy and fuel cell technologies”.

1.	Low I.M. Advances in Science and Technology of Mn+1AXn phases. – Elsevier.- 2012.