Chemically vapor deposited Ti3SiC2

Monolithic Ti3SiC2 poly-crystalline plates 40 mm by 12 mm by 0.4 mm in size were prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using SiCl4, TiCl4, CCl4 and H2 as source gases at a deposition rate of 200 μm/h. The lattice parameters of the CVD-Ti3SiC2 were a = 3.064 Å and c = 17.650 Å. The density was 4.53 g/cm3 which was in agreement with the calculated value. The (110) plane was preferably oriented parallel to the deposition surface. The Vickers microhardness decreased from 1300 to 600 kg/mm2 while increasing the indenter load in the range of 10 to 100 g. In the case of 100 g to 1 kg load range, the Vickers microhardness had a constant value of about 600 kg/mm2, and many slip lines caused by the plastic deformation were observed.