Nippon Tungsten Co., Ltd.

Fukuoka Prefecture

Toru Okui

Osamu Nakano

Yusuke Hara

Yoko Taniguchi

Kunitaka Fujiyoshi

Teruhisa Makino

Disclosed is a highly-pure fine titanium carbide powder having a maximum particle size of 100 nm or less and containing metals except titanium in an amount of 0.05 wt % or less and free carbon in an amount of 0.5 wt % or less. The powder has a NaCl-type crystal structure, and a composition represented by TiCxOyNz, wherein X, Y and Z satisfy the relations: 0.5&#x2266;X&#x2266;1.0; 0&#x2266;Y&#x2266;0.3; 0&#x2266;Z&#x2266;0.2; and 0.5&#x2266;X+Y+Z&#x2266;1.0.) The powder is produced by: dissolving an organic substance serving as a carbon source in a solvent to prepare a liquid, wherein the organic substance contains at least one OH or COOH group which is a functional group coordinatable to titanium of titanium alkoxide, and no element except C, H, N and O; mixing titanium alkoxide with the liquid to satisfy the following relation: 0.7&#x2266;&#x3b1;&#x2266;1.0 (wherein &#x3b1; is a molar ratio of the carbon source to the titanium alkoxide), so as to obtain a precursor solution; and subjecting a product in the precursor solution to a heat treatment in a non-oxidizing atmosphere or a vacuum atmosphere at a temperature of 1050 to 1500&#xb0; C. The present invention can provide fine titanium carbide powders with nano-scale particle sizes, which are free of inorganic impurities, such as titanium oxide and metal, low in free carbon, and effective in enhancing characteristics of a titanium carbide-ceramics composite sintered body.

Titanium carbide powder and titanium carbide-ceramics composite powder and method for production thereof, and sintered compact from the titanium carbide powder and sintered compact from the titanium carbide/ceramics composite powders and method for production thereof

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Saga, Japan

Toru Okui