Biomass-derived nano-laminated Ti3SiC2 MAX phase.

Carbide-based MAX phases, titanium silicon carbide (Ti3SiC2), were synthesized with Ti, Si, and C elements using a sintering process. Eggshell membranes, which have been generally dumped as domestic wastes, were used as carbon sources in starting materials. After a sintering process at 1500 °C, Ti3SiC2 phases were mainly formed with a few secondary phases such as TiSi2 and TiC x . The formation and extinction of secondary phases were influenced by the quantities of Si contents in starting materials, which also affected the peak shifts of the Ti3SiC2 phase in X-ray diffraction spectra. The possible mechanism of this phenomenon was proposed, and the thermoelectric properties of products were also investigated.