This work was aimed to produce Cr2AlC powder through two-step reactions and to sinter it under a pressureless condition, and the related synthesis and sintering mechanisms were evaluated. Cr2AlC powder of ∼9 μm in size was produced using CrCx and Al powders and sintered to a relative density of ∼95.5%. The sintering was characterized by an activation energy of 267±23 kJ/mol and the mixed mode of sintering comprised of the surface diffusion mechanism and the transient liquid-phase sintering caused by melting of Al-Cr intermetallic impurities. The sintered sample exhibited Vickers hardness of 3.4 GPa. © 2010 The American Ceramic Society.

Bharat Bhooshan Panigrahi

Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering

M.-C. Chu

Y.-I. Kim

S.-J. Cho

J.J. Gracio

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) is a premier institute of science and technology established in 2008. IITH has been consistently ranked in the&nbsp;<a href="https://iith.ac.in/reports/" rel="noopener noreferrer">top 10 institutes</a>&nbsp;in India for Engineering&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nirfindia.org/2021/EngineeringRanking.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">according to NIRF</a>&nbsp;making it one of the most coveted schools for science and technology in the country.

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Journal	Journal of the American Ceramic Society
ISSN	00027820