Reactive wetting in titanium carbide/non-reactive metal systems

This review is concerned with an experimental study of the reactive wetting of titanium carbide, over a range of compositions, by liquid non-reactive metals (Cu, Ag, Sn, Au) and their Ti-containing alloys. The experimental results were correlated with the results of a thermodynamic analysis of these systems and with the results of ab initio calculations of the electronic structure of the titanium carbide phase as a function of its carbon content. The presence of a carbide phase over a range of concentrations is a key feature that governs the chemical interaction at the metal/carbide interface and wetting phenomena. The experimental results confirm the importance of thermodynamic considerations for understanding and predicting wetting behavior and interface evolution in the metal/ceramic systems. The degree of metallic bonding in titanium carbide increases with decreasing carbon content in the titanium carbide phase. The effect of the electronic structure on the wetting behavior requires further investigation.