This study presents new findings related to the incorporation of MXene phases into ceramic. Aluminium oxide and synthesised Ti3C2 were utilised as starting materials. Knowing the tendency of MXenes to oxidation and degradation, particularly at higher temperatures, structural modifications were proposed. They consisted of creating the metallic layer on the Ti3C2, by sputtering the titanium or molybdenum. To prepare the composites, powder metallurgy and spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques were adopted. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the applied modifications, the emphasis of the research was placed on microstructural analysis. In addition, the mechanical properties of the obtained sinters were examined. Observations revealed significant changes in the MXenes degradation process, from porous areas with TiC particles (for unmodified Ti3C2), to in situ creation of graphitic carbon (in the case of Ti3C2-Ti/Mo). Moreover, the fracture changed from purely intergranular to cracking with high participation of transgranular mode, analogously. In addition, the results obtained showed an improvement in the mechanical properties for composites with Ti/Mo modifications (an increase of 10% and 15% in hardness and fracture toughness respectively, for specimens with 0.5 wt.% Ti3C2-Mo). For unmodified Ti3C2, enormously cracked areas with spatters emerged during tests, making the measurements impossible to perform.
Keywords: Al2O3; Ceramic; MXene; Ti3C2; ceramic matrix composites; mechanical properties; microstructure; spark plasma sintering.