Direct synthesis and characterization of single-phase tantalum nitride (Ta2N) nanocrystallites by dc arc discharge

Tantalum nitride (Ta2N) nanocrystallites have been firstly direct synthesized by dc arc discharge and characterized by XRD, TEM, FTIR techniques. The average size of Ta2N nanocrystallites is about 5–10 nm. The influence of NH3 concentration of the reaction gas on the as-synthesized Ta2N is studied and it is found that the optimal NH3 concentration of the reaction gas to synthesize single-phase Ta2N was in the range of 10–20%. The growth mechanism of Ta2N was discussed. This synthetic method may be suitable for a direct preparation for mass production of Ta2N nanocrystallites.