Study on dispersion of nanometer-sized TiC powders in aqueous system

The effect of different dispersing conditions on dispersion behavior of nano-TiC powders(average size of 130 nm) in aqueous solution was analyzed.Particle size and distribution of nano-TiC was determined by transmission electron microscope(TEM) and laser diffraction particle size analyzer under various dispersion methods including ultrasonic vibration,adding dispersant and so on.The stability of TiC suspension was characterized in terms of Zeta potential and sedimentation.The experiment results showed that the pH value and the amount of dispersant(MN) had effect on the dispersion.The TiC suspension was satisfactorily dispersed with MN 2.5 wt.‰ at pH 5-7(especially at pH 5).The suspension stability took two good values with increasing of MN(3wt.‰ and 6wt.‰) at pH value of 5.Results showed that MN is a suitable dispersant for obtaining well-dispersed TiC suspension in aqueous media.