TiC
Titanium carbide · TiC
Titanium carbide is a hard, metallic ceramic material prized for its exceptional thermal stability and wear resistance in high-stress industrial applications.
About Titanium carbide
Titanium carbide is a highly stable, metallic ceramic that serves as a cornerstone material in the field of ultra-high-temperature ceramics. Its robust structural integrity and electronic properties make it an essential component for demanding industrial environments where thermal resistance is paramount.
Because it sits firmly on the thermodynamic convex hull, this compound is exceptionally durable and resistant to degradation. It is frequently utilized in the production of cermets and specialized coatings that require superior wear resistance and high melting points.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Titanium carbide, aggregated across 4 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for TiC, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -12.408 | 4.89 |
| P-1 (No. 2) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 4.39 |
| P1 (No. 1) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 4.85 |
| C2 (No. 5) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 4.47 |
| P4/mmm (No. 123) | Tetragonal | — | — | — | 2.45 |
| P4/mmm (No. 123) | Tetragonal | — | — | — | 3.60 |
| P4/mmm (No. 123) | Tetragonal | — | — | — | 3.38 |
| P4mm (No. 99) | Tetragonal | — | — | — | 2.60 |
| P4mm (No. 99) | Tetragonal | — | — | — | 3.45 |
| P4mm (No. 99) | Tetragonal | — | — | — | 3.29 |
| P21/c (No. 14) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.39 |
| C2 (No. 5) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.41 |
Applications
Where Titanium carbide is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Titanium carbide, answered from cross-validated data.
What is TiC?
Titanium carbide is a hard, metallic ceramic material prized for its exceptional thermal stability and wear resistance in high-stress industrial applications.
What is TiC used for?
What is the band gap of TiC?
Is TiC a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is TiC thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of TiC?
What is the density of TiC?
How many polymorphs of TiC are known?
What elements does TiC contain?
Where does the data for TiC come from?
How It Compares
Within the ultra-high-temperature ceramics class.
Within the family of ultra-high-temperature ceramics, titanium carbide is one of the most extensively studied and utilized members. While compounds like HfC and ZrC share similar structural profiles and high-temperature performance, titanium carbide remains a preferred choice for commercial applications due to its favorable balance of density, hardness, and established manufacturing processes.
Related Compounds
Other Ultra-High-Temperature Ceramics in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
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