This study presents new findings related to the incorporation of MXene phases into ceramic. Aluminium oxide and synthesised Ti₃C₂ were utilised as starting materials. Knowing the tendency of MXenes to oxidation and degradation, particularly at higher temperatures, structural modifications were proposed. They consisted of creating the metallic layer on the Ti₃C₂, by sputtering the titanium or molybdenum. To prepare the composites, powder metallurgy and spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques were adopted. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the applied modifications, the emphasis of the research was placed on microstructural analysis. In addition, the mechanical properties of the obtained sinters were examined. Observations revealed significant changes in the MXenes degradation process, from porous areas with TiC particles (for unmodified Ti₃C₂), to in situ creation of graphitic carbon (in the case of Ti₃C₂-Ti/Mo). Moreover, the fracture changed from purely intergranular to cracking with high participation of transgranular mode, analogously. In addition, the results obtained showed an improvement in the mechanical properties for composites with Ti/Mo modifications (an increase of 10% and 15% in hardness and fracture toughness respectively, for specimens with 0.5 wt.% Ti₃C₂-Mo). For unmodified Ti₃C₂, enormously cracked areas with spatters emerged during tests, making the measurements impossible to perform.

Aluminum alloys such as AA2024 are popular in the automotive and aircraft industries. The application of artificial aging significantly improves their mechanical properties by precipitation hardening. However, commercial alloys very often contain different amounts of elements such as Si and Fe that make the evolution of the microstructure harder to control. Large intermetallic particles can influence the overall results of heat treatment and cause deterioration of material properties. The authors decided to examine changes in the microstructure of three commercial 2024 alloys with varying chemical compositions by applying three different types of aging treatments. The results show considerable differences in the amount, size and morphologies of the precipitates. Second-phase Al₂Cu and Al₂CuMg precipitates were identified in one of the alloys. Other interesting types of multiphase particles were discovered in alloys with higher Si contents. The results show that even small variations in the composition can lead to a completely different microstructure.