High‐temperature solid‐state reaction between zirconium carbide and iridium: New insights into the phase formation

Abstract The reaction between ZrC and iridium powders was studied in the temperature range of 1000–1600°C. The reaction was stated to start at a temperature as low as 1000°C. The only high‐melting intermetallic phase, ZrIr 3 , was obtained as a substitutional solid solution ZrIr 3±δ . A new analytical approach to relating the composition to the lattice parameter of cubic binary substitutional ZrIr 3±δ solid solutions was proposed. This approach is based on comparing the distribution by elemental composition and by lattice parameter in a range of ZrIr 3±δ solid solutions. This made it possible to determine the lattice parameter of a stoichiometric ZrIr 3 phase, a 0 = 3.971(5) Å.