Nanopowders Synthesis of Oxygen-Free Titanium Compounds—Nitride, Carbonitride, and Carbide in a Plasma Reactor

Abstract

The synthesis of titanium nitride, carbonitride, and carbide nanopowders from titanium tetrachloride vapor in the stream of hydrogen or hydrogen–nitrogen plasma, generated by an electroarc torch, in a confined-jet flow reactor has been experimentally studied. Single-phase nanopowders with a NaCl-type cubic crystal lattice as assemblies of preferably cube-shaped nanoparticles of a 20–150 nm size and aggregates based on them have been obtained in the experiments. By varying the synthesis parameters, it has been possible to prepare titanium nitride nanopowders with a specific surface area in the range of 11–39 m2/g containing 18.8–22.5 wt% nitrogen, which corresponds to the empirical formula TiN0.79–TiN0.99. The titanium carbonitride nanopowders had a specific surface area of 13–23 m2/g, carbon and nitrogen contents of 7.5–13.6 and 13.5–5.1 wt%, respectively. The titanium carbide nanopowders had a specific surface area of 14–45 m2/g and carbon contents of 17–21 wt%. Most reached yield of main products was 94%.