Samples of TiC dispersion-strengthened Cu alloy were prepared by mechanical alloying and hot extrusion, and the evolution of the microstructure was monitored by using transmission electron microscopy. The TiC dispersoids were formed  in situ  by reaction between Ti and graphite. The Ti diffused from the pre-alloyed CuTi matrix, and into C inclusions which were embedded in the matrix after high-energy milling. Heat treatment of the powder mixtures at 400C led to the heterogeneous nucleation of TiC at the C/Cu interface. A well-defined cube-on-cube orientation relationship was established between the TiC and the Cu matrix. A study of the morphology of the TiC dispersoids showed that they were faceted on the {111}TiC, {110}TiC and {100}TiC planes, and exhibited ledges at the atomic scale. The TiC/Cu interfaces were atomically sharp, and were free of interface phases. A {100}TiC||{100}Cu and <110>TiC||<110>Cu topotaxy led to a misfit of 17.6% between the lattices. This misfit was accommodated by a dislocation network along the <100>Cu directions.

G.Dehm, J.Thomas, J.Mayer, T.Weissgärber, W.Püsche, C.Sauer: Philosophical Magazine A, 1998, 77[6], 1531-54