Effects of raw material ratio on the properties of molybdenum carbide prepared by spark plasma sintering method

Using Mo powder and C powder as the raw materials, the molybdenum carbide was successfully prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) in this paper. The effects of raw material ratio (the mole ratio of Mo/C) on phase composition, morphology, microhardness, and porosity of sintering bodies were analyzed and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and microhardness tester. The results show that, Mo₂C with high density can be gained at Mo/C = 2:1 by mole; however, when the mole ratio of Mo/C is 2:1.5, the transformation from Mo₂C to MoC can be promoted. The microhardness and porosity of sintering bodies may be degraded by the further increase in C powder content.