Synthesis of carbides in the arc plasma

A method of synthesis of iron, silicon, titanium, and tungsten carbides in an argon arc between graphite electrodes is developed. It is found that iron, silicon, and titanium atoms introduced into the interelectrode gap cause the voltage drop across the gap to decrease, whereas tungsten atoms increase this voltage. The X-ray diffraction analysis of synthesized powders reveals carbide and graphite crystallites. Their relative concentrations are estimated from the intensities of the respective reflection peaks. The morphological examination of the synthesized particles shows that titanium carbide particles are the largest and iron carbide ones are the finest. Raman spectra taken of the powders confirm the presence of graphite and carbide crystallites.