A NiAl- and TiC-reinforced Fe-based nanocomposite prepared by the rapid-solidification thermite process

A NiAl- and TiC-reinforced iron-based nanocomposite FeNiCrAl/NiAl–TiC was prepared using the rapid-solidification thermite process. The composite consisted of ferrite, nano-scale intermetallic NiAl and micro-scale TiC. After an aging treatment at 600 °C, the nano-scale NiAl precipitated in the matrix ranged from 20 nm to 50 nm in diameter, which led to an increase in the tensile strength of the material. This composite exhibited excellent oxidation resistance, and the mass gain after 100 h of isothermal exposure at 1000 °C in air was less than 1 mg/cm2, which is approximately 1/70 of the mass gain of 304 stainless steel under equivalent conditions.