Low-Temperature Synthesis of TiC from Carbon-Infiltrated, Nano-porous TiO2

Carbonization of TiO₂, which is a process typically used to synthesize TiC, consumes a huge amount of energy. Low-temperature synthesis of TiC from carbon-infiltrated TiO₂ has been investigated in this study to develop an energy-saving process. Porous TiO₂ was first obtained by hydrochloric acid leaching of ilmenite (FeTiO₃) ore. Then, carbon-infiltrated TiO₂ was prepared from the porous TiO₂ using a tar impregnation method, and its reaction behavior was observed. The carbon-infiltrated TiO₂ was completely converted into TiC which contained 3.0 mol pct oxygen at 1300 °C for 2 hours. In contrast, a mixture of reagents TiO₂ and carbon did not react when it was subjected to the same treatment. This major difference is due to the effect of close contact between TiO₂ and carbon through the nanopores generated in TiO₂ obtained by acid leaching of ilmenite ore. It was concluded that this method has significantly lower temperature and much shorter reaction time than those of conventional methods.