Abstract
Dense conductive ceramic composites of MgAl2O4 and MoSi2 were processed using combustion synthesis under-load methodology. The starting reactants were blends of MoO3, SiO2, MgO, and Al powders. The study revealed that to obtain dense composite with homogeneous microstructure, 30 wt. % of MoSi2, 18.5 m Al average particle size, and 175 MPa load are required. The produced dense composite was found to have a low apparent porosity (<1.0 vol. %), moderate density 4.61 g/cm(3), and low electrical resistivity 0.3 cm. The dense composite exhibited excellent thermodynamic stability between its phases at 1400 degrees C in open atmosphere.