Synthesis of New Nitrides Using Solid State Oxide Precursors

Abstract

AbstractSeveral novel transition metal nitrides were synthesized via ammonolysis of solid state oxide precursors at temperatures ranging from 700°C-900°C and reaction times ranging from 12 hours to 4 days. Both intermetallic nitrides, Fe3Mo3N and Co3Mo3N, and ionic/covalent nitrides, FeWN2, MnWN2, Ta5N6 and Nb5N6, were prepared by this method. The products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and their structures were determined by powder X-ray Rietveld refinement. The intermetallic nitrides were found to be isostructural with the eta-carbide structure, Fe3W3C, while the ionic/covalent nitrides have layered structures, with metals in octahedral and trigonal prismatic coordination environments. Two polymorphs of the MnWN2 composition, α-MnWN2 and β-MnWN2, were isolated after ammonolysis at 700°C and 800°C, respectively. While the alpha phase can be converted into the beta phase by heating to 800°C under ammonia, annealing the beta phase at 700°C did not result in a structural transformation. Magnetic measurements show that FeWN2 orders antiferromagnetically at 45K. The magnetic ordering temperature was confirmed by M6ssbauer spectroscopy. All the other nitrides were paramagnetic down to 5K. Conductivity measurements show that FeWN2 and MnWN2 are metallic.