Ultrahigh-temperature ceramics (UHTCs), including carbides and borides of transition metals, are promising materials for hypersonic flight due to their exceptional melting points and thermal stability. However, many commonly studied UHTCs, such as hafnium- and tantalum-based carbides, possess high densities that increase structural weight and motivate the exploration of lower-density alternatives for lightweight ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). Among the available low-density UHTCs, such as TiB2, ZrC, and TiC, this study explores titanium carbide (TiC), a low-density (4.9 g/cm3), high-melting-point (3160 °C) UHTC, as a matrix phase for CMCs. Using a polytitanoxane preceramic polymer, a TiC matrix was synthesized via polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) within continuous carbon fiber reinforcement. After eight infiltration and pyrolysis cycles, a crystalline, oxide-free TiC matrix was formed. XRF and EDS confirmed carbon-deficient TiC, while mechanical testing revealed enhanced flexural strength and modulus in composites with TiN interface coatings. Although residual porosity and fiber degradation limited the overall performance, the use of TiC as a sole matrix, unreported in prior literature, demonstrates an alternative pathway for developing UHTCMCs. This work highlights the viability of TiC-based composites and lays the foundation for scalable, high-performance materials for hypersonic aerospace applications.
Wickramathilaka et al. (Fri,) studied this question.