COMPOSITE POWDER AND ITS PRODUCTION

PURPOSE:To obtain a minute composite and to easily control the particle size and composition of the composite by partially or wholly decomposing the metal carbide in metal carbide powder particles, including the formed metal nitride and carbon in the same metal carbide particles, or forming a composite of the metal nitride and carbon. CONSTITUTION:The powder particles of a metal carbide such as titanium carbide, chromium carbide, and zirconium carbide are heated to >=800 deg.C in an atmosphere having >=10 atm nitrogen partial pressure. The obtained material is hydrostatically hot-pressed, or heated to >=800 deg.C in a gaseous ammonia current to partially decompose the metal nitride to obtain composite powder wherein the metal nitride and carbon are included in the metal nitride powder particles. Alternatively, the metal carbide is wholly decomposed to obtain the composite powder including the metal nitride and carbon. The purity of the metal carbide powder particles is controlled to >=50wt.%.