Nanocrystalline TiC was directly synthesized through a single-step reaction of TiCl4 and CaC2 powders at 500degreesC. X-ray powder diffraction indicated that the product was cubic TiC with a lattice constant a = 4.314Angstrom. Polyhedral nanocrystals with an average size of 40nm or so were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The possible formation mechanism was also discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.