Spark Plasma Sintering of Pristine and Transition-Metal-Doped Ti₂AlC MAX-Phase

We study the synthesis of Ti₂AlC MAX-phase ceramics via spark plasma sintering (SPS), focusing on the effects of temperature, precursor composition, and transition metal doping (Mo, Ta, Hf, W, Y, Mn). Optimized sintering parameters were established, defining the precursor ratios necessary for Ti₂AlC formation. Structural and compositional analyses revealed that select transition metals—Ta, Hf, W, and Y—can be incorporated into the Ti₂AlC lattice, whereas Mo and Mn predominantly form separate phases. These findings provide insights into the controlled synthesis of MAX-phase materials with tunable properties for high-performance applications.