TY - JOUR AU - ZHOU, Xiaobing AU - JING, Lei AU - KWON, Yong Duk AU - KIM, Jin-Young AU - HUANG, Zhengren AU - YOON, Dang-Hyok AU - LEE, Jaehyung AU - HUANG, Qing PY - 2020 TI - Fabrication of SiCw/Ti3SiC2 composites with improved thermal conductivity and mechanical properties using spark plasma sintering JO - Journal of Advanced Ceramics SN - 2226-4108 SP - 462 EP - 470 VL - 9 IS - 4 AB - High strength SiC whisker-reinforced Ti3SiC2 composites (SiCw/Ti3SiC2) with an improved thermal conductivity and mechanical properties were fabricated by spark plasma sintering. The bending strength of 10 wt% SiCw/Ti3SiC2 was 635 MPa, which was approximately 50% higher than that of the monolithic Ti3SiC2 (428 MPa). The Vickers hardness and thermal conductivity (k) also increased by 36% and 25%, respectively, from the monolithic Ti3SiC2 by the incorporation of 10 wt% SiCw. This remarkable improvement both in mechanical and thermal properties was attributed to the fine-grained uniform composite microstructure along with the effects of incorporated SiCw. The SiCw/Ti3SiC2 can be a feasible candidate for the in-core structural application in nuclear reactors due to the excellent mechanical and thermal properties. UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-020-0389-2 DO - 10.1007/s40145-020-0389-2