THE OXIDATION OF HOT-PRESSED TITANIUM CARBIDE AND TITANIUM BORIDE IN THE TEMPERATURE RANGE 300°–1000° C. *

The oxidation characteristics of pure hot-pressed titanium carbide and titanium boride (TiB₂) have been studied in the range 300°–1000° C.

Titanium carbide shows a very marked peak in the rate of oxidation at ∼450° C., the oxidation product at this temperature being anatase (TiO₂) which is powdery and non-adherent; the oxidation thus follows a linear law. Above ∼700° C. the rate increases rapidly again and is approximately parabolic. The scale in this case consists of a dense crystalline film of rutile.

The oxidation of the boride is less rapid than that of the carbide over the whole temperature range but it, too, shows a slight peak at 450° C. The oxidation tends to be parabolic at higher temperatures. The nature of the oxidation products has not been determined.