Multicomponent bulk metal nitride (Nb1/3Ta1/3Ti1/3)N1−δ synthesis via reaction flash sintering and characterizations

Abstract

AbstractIn this research, near fully dense single phase bulk multicomponent transition metal nitride (Nb1/3Ta1/3Ti1/3)N1−δ has been successfully synthesized from mixed commercial powders of NbN, TaN and TiN via reaction flash sintering technique. This was performed with an applied pressure of ~ 35 MPa at 25°C under a constant DC electric field (~24‐32 V/cm). The flash event, which is the abrupt increase in current (up to ~ 25.2 A/mm2) and temperature, occurred without preheating. The threshold power dissipation on the sample right before the flash is ~ 0.7 W/mm3. The formation of single phase (Nb1/3Ta1/3Ti1/3)N1−δ random solid solution and its compositional uniformity were confirmed by XRD and EDS, respectively. The effects of ball milling duration and limiting current density on phase formation were studied. Simulation based on Joule heating provides an estimate of the ultimate sample temperature of ~ 1850°C. Vickers hardness of the obtained (Nb1/3Ta1/3Ti1/3)N1−δ is 17.6 ± 0.6 GPa, which is comparable to similarly flash sintered ingredient binary nitrides of TaN and NbN. TGA in air shows that the oxidation resistance of (Nb1/3Ta1/3Ti1/3)N1−δ is better than that of TaN and NbN but inferior to TiN. The study demonstrates that reaction flash sintering can be a highly efficient technique for synthesizing bulk multicomponent ceramics for both material fundamental investigations and application development.