Dispersion and stabilization of TiN and TiC nanoparticles in organic suspensions

In this work the stability of TiN and TiC nanopowders in isopropyl alcohol as well as the fabrication of dense and well adhered thin coatings based on TiN and TiC by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) have been evaluated in terms of zeta potential and mass deposited when hydrazine is added. The surface of TiN and TiC nanoparticles has been modified to improve the dispersion in isopropyl alcohol adding a cationic polymer (polyethylenimine) as dispersant with two different molecular weights. The influence of acidic/basic character of the solvent also has been evaluated in order to reach the most efficient EPD process. It was found that the adsorption of polyethylenimine with higher molecular weight can preserve the homogeneity of TiC coatings. The surface of TiN nanoparticles can be tuned in order to achieve a similar polyethylenimine adsorption which also improves the deposition in basic media.