LAUSR

Abstract Titanium carbohydride-based composites were produced by one-, two- and three-stage ball milling of titanium-copper powder mixture in liquid hydrocarbon and subsequent annealing at 600 °C for 1 h in argon. The phase composition and morphology of the milled and annealed powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Single-stage milling of titanium-copper mixture followed by its annealing was shown to result in the formation of the titanium carbohydride and intermetallic phases which may deteriorate the composite properties because of their high brittleness. Addition of copper at the second stage of the two-stage milling lowered the fraction of intermetallic phases. Octadecylamine added as a surfactant in the three-stage ball milling aided to prevent the formation of intermetallic phases under both milling and subsequent annealing owing to the formation of a barrier adsorption layer on the particle surface.