Raman scattering from Ti3SiC2 single crystals

The lack of single crystalline Ti3SiC2 samples is currently limiting the accurate measurement of its basic properties as its layered crystalline structure presents a very strong anisotropy. In this letter, we report the growth of pure Ti3SiC2 single crystals after a careful study of the Ti3SiC2 liquidus surface extent through thermodynamical calculations. From a Raman scattering study on those single crystals, an unambiguous assignment of most of the phonon modes has been established, giving an answer to the discrepancies existing in the literature.