In-situ growth of TiB2 whiskers in TiB2-TiCx matrix powder

The TiB2 whiskers were fabricated in TiB2/TiCx composites by the in-situ synthesis process. The phase composition, thermodynamics, weight loss and lattice parameters of the obtained phases were studied. The obtained TiB2 whiskers showed an aspect ratio of 10-20 and a diameter of 0.5-1.5 mu m. The synthesized TiC was a non-stoichiometric phase with a lattice parameter of 4.274 angstrom. Most of the whiskers had the cylinder shape; whereas, a few whiskers showed a bead-necklace morphology. The growth mechanisms of TiB2 whiskers were governed by the solid-liquid-solid (S-L-S) mechanism and the particle-to-particle connection mechanism.