TiC-reinforced entropy-stabilized composites were synthesized via self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) in the Ti–Mn–Co–Ni–Al–C system and consolidated using spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. Thermodynamic analysis predicted an adiabatic temperature of 1830 K, while experimental SHS reached 1550°C with rapid heating (1720°C/s) and cooling (2.8°C/s) rates. X-ray diffraction identified titanium carbide, FCC Ti–Mn–Co–Ni alloy, and minor amount of Mn2Ti intermetallic compound after the combustion synthesis. SEM/EDS revealed a porous, sponge-like SHS microstructure with bimodal particle-size distribution, evolving into a dense, well-bonded composite after SPS, with fine TiC uniformly dispersed in the metallic matrix. The intrinsic reactivity of SHS powders made them particularly suitable for spark plasma sintering, enabling rapid densification while preserving the fine TiC reinforcement and the entropy-stabilized FCC metallic matrix.
Zurnachyan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.