Method for making submicrometer carbides, submicrometer solid solution carbides, and the material resulting therefrom

A method for making a particulate ceramic composition, consisting essentially of:

• rapidly carbothermally reducing a reactive particulate mixture of (a) at least one metallic oxide selected from the group consisting of the oxides of the Group IVB (Ti, Zr, Hf), Group VB (V, Nb, Ta);
• Group VIB (Cr, Mo, W) transition metals, and combinations thereof and (b) a carbon source by heating the reactive particulate mixture at a rate of between about 100K/sec to about 100,000,000K/sec in a substantially non-oxidizing atmosphere to an elevated temperature that makes carbothermal reduction of the reactive particulate mixture thermodynamically favorable;
• and
• holding the particulate mixture at the elevated temperature for a residence time sufficient to substantially convert said reactive particulate mixture into at least one product selected from the group consisting of (i) one or more metallic carbides, (ii) one or more metallic carbide precursors, (iii) one or more solid solution carbides, and (iv) one or more solid solution metallic carbide precursors, and combinations thereof.