Evaluation of the Electromagnetic Behavior of TiC/Ti3AlC2 Ceramic Matrix Composites Synthesized by in Situ Method

The present research has aimed to investigate the effect of Ti3AlC2 reinforcing MAX phase on the electromagnetic behavior of TiC matrix composites. In this case, the milling process and secondary heat treatment were used for the synthesis of the composite. The resulting structures were examined by scanning electron microscope, differential thermal analysis, and X-ray diffractometer. Electromagnetic behavior was investigated by vector network analyzer. The investigations showed that it is possible to create a TiC/Ti3AlC2 composite structure in situ after milling. Electromagnetic investigations revealed that the electromagnetic absorption behavior of TiC/Ti3AlC2 ceramic matrix composite was improved compared to the original TiC. So that the lowest reflection loss of the milled composite was equal to -19.46 dB in the frequency range of 1 to 18 GHz band. After annealing at 1400 °C, it was found that the Ti3AlC2 phase resulting from the milling process was not stable and turned into the single phase solid solution of TiCx. Electromagnetic investigations of the annealed sample showed that after removing the MAX phase, the electromagnetic absorption behavior was weakened. Thus, the lowest reflection loss of the annealed sample was equal to -9.82 dB.