Stable aqeous niobium carbide suspensions for production of homogeneous hard materials
- Hard materials consist of a hard phase embedded in a metallic binder. In order to achieve high toughness and strength, it is necessary to have a perfect mixing of hard phase and binder, which is mainly achieved by ball milling. Niobium carbide (NbC) has a high potential to substitute tungsten carbide as hard material.
The publication presents the development of stable homogeneous and de-agglomerated NbC-dispersions. To prevent agglomeration of the powder, stable suspensions were achieved by surface treatments with the dispersants (PD and HD), which resulted in a charge reversal from a negative to a positive zeta potential. This surface-modified powder guaranteed a stable re-dispersion in the binder suspension. Nickel powder was added as metallic binder. This suspension was suited for 3D-printing. The green samples could be sintered in vacuum or Argon atmosphere.