Microstructure evolution during oxidation of quinary Ti3(AlSiSn)C2 at high temperatures and induced probable performance

Quinary Ti3Al0.6Si0.2Sn0.2C2 and Ti3Al0.5Si0.4Sn0.1C2 solid solution bulks were synthesized via hot-pressing process. High temperature oxidation behaviors were then investigated over a temperature range of 800–1200 oC. The weight gain per surface area and oxidation layer thickness were measured to study the oxidation kinetics. The as-synthesized compounds with varying solid solution ingredients exhibited comparable oxidation kinetics which fitted a parabolic kinetic better with the oxidation duration of 0–20 h, while it appeared to get more complicated after prolonging the oxidation time. The microstructure evolution and phase compositions of the oxide scales during breakaway oxidation were characterized to illuminate the oxidation mechanism. The oxidation layers exhibited a multi-layered structure resulting from the disparities between the diffusion and migration energies of the multi-elements. Anticipated performance induced by high temperature oxidation was further explored through investigation on the crack self-healing and tribological optimization capacities. It was revealed that cracks could be filled by predominant TiO2 and Al2O3 with a high efficiency at 1000 oC during annealing in air. At 800 oC, Ti3Al0.6Si0.2Sn0.2C2 exhibited self-lubricating properties that was attributed to the formation of smoothing tribo-oxide films, as demonstrated by the increasing oxygen content of the friction surface during sliding.