Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of TiC-Reinforced Red Mud–Alumina Composite Ceramics

TiC-reinforced red mud–alumina composite ceramics were fabricated by spark plasma sintering. The materials exhibited excellent mechanical properties when incorporating 4 wt.% TiC and sintering at 1100 °C, achieving a flexural strength of 675.81 MPa, Vickers hardness of 2137.2 HV, relative density of 96.79%, and fracture toughness of 7.65 MPa·m1/2. Microstructural characterization reveals that the enhanced mechanical performance is attributed to the in situ formation of CaAl12O19 and the development of a unique intragranular microstructure with Al2O3 grains. The composites demonstrated non-wetting behavior against molten copper, maintaining interfacial stability without detectable reactions or elemental interdiffusion at elevated temperatures. This work provides an effective strategy for valorizing red mud in fabricating high-performance ceramics suitable for electronic packaging applications.