Preparation of ultrafine WC-Co composite powder by in situ reduction and carbonization reactions

A rapid route of synthesizing WC-Co composite powder by in situ reduction and carbonization reactions of metal oxides and carbon was proposed. The effects of a series of processing parameters on the preparation of the pure-phase and ultrafine composite powder were studied systemically. It is found that the phase constitution in the prepared composite powder is influenced by the carbon addition content in the starting powders, the milling time, the vacuum pressure, and the reaction temperature. The long-time ball milling, low reaction temperature and short holding time are favorable to obtain the fine and homogeneous composite powder particles. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.