TiH2 nanopowder was made by high energy ball milling. The milled TiH2 and CNT powders were then simultaneously synthesized and consolidated using pulsed current activated sintering (PCAS) within one minute under an applied pressure of 80 MPa. The milling did not induce any reaction between the constituent powders. Meanwhile, PCAS of the TiH2-CNT mixture produced a Ti-TiC composite according to the reaction (0.92TiH2 + 0.08CNT→0.84Ti + 0.08TiC + 0.92H2, 0.84TiH2 + 0.16CNT→0.68Ti + 0.16TiC + 0.84H2). Highly dense nanocrystalline Ti-TiC composites with a relative density of up to 99.7% were obtained. The hardness and fracture toughness of the dense Ti-8 mole% TiC and Ti-16 mole% TiC produced by PCAS were also investigated. The hardness of the Ti-8 mole% TiC and Ti-16 mole% TiC composites was higher than that of Ti. The hardness value of the Ti-16 mole% TiC composite was higher than that of the Ti-8 mole% TiC composite without a decrease in fracture toughness.

1. Introduction
 2. Experimental Procedures
 3. Results and Discussion
 4. Conclusions
 Acknowledgment
 References

• Na-Ra Park(Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, the Research Center of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell, Chonbuk National University, 664-14 Deokjin-dong 1-ga, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Korea)
• In-Jin Shon(Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, the Research Center of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell, Chonbuk National University, 664-14 Deokjin-dong 1-ga, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Korea) Corresponding author