Refractory metal nanopowders: Synthesis and characterization

Refractory nanometals have been the subject of interest for the past two decades in order to manufacture compact materials with dramatically improved mechanical properties for aerospace, military, chemical and metallurgical applications. The interest in nanomaterials has led to the development of many synthetic methods for their fabrication. In this review the challenges, synthesis methods and the characteristics of refractory metal nanopowders of IV–VI sub-group of the periodic table are discussed. Special attention is paid to salt-assisted combustion reaction (SACR) as a promising technique for the large-scale production of refractory metal nanopowders.The current paper will: (1) focus on the synthesis methods, morphology and physical–chemical characteristics of metal nanopowders; (2) present the specific feature of the salt-assisted combustion reaction, combustion parameters and macro-kinetic aspects of chemical reactions in the powder bed; and (3) demonstrate the perceptiveness of the fabrication route for the mass production of nanosized powders.