A Soft Ceramic Ti₃SiC₂ with Microscale Plasticity at Room Temperature

Microscale plasticity of Ti3SiC2 was investigated by Vickers hardness indentation. The surface layer of the hardness indentations was removed by acid solution to observe microstructure beneath the indentations, where a large number of bending, delamination and kinking grains were found. These features suggest that Ti3SiC2 is able to consume microdamage around the indentations. Numerous basal plane dislocations and stacking faults lying in Ti3SiC2 grains or accumulating at grain boundaries were observed. The basal plane dislocations play an important role in the microscale plastic deformation. The plasticity and damage tolerance for Ti3SiC2 at room temperature should be attributed to multiple energy absorbing mechanisms: grains bending, delamination, kink-band formation, and the basal plane slip, etc.