Facile synthesis of bimetallic carbonitrides, V1−xTix(C,N), by microwave carbothermal reduction-ammonolysis/carburisation (MW-CRAC) methods

New quaternary carbide nitrides in the V1−xTix(C,N) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) system have been synthesised rapidly (0.5-1.5 h) by carbothermal reduction, carburisation and ammonolysis via microwave heating using a custom-modified, multimode cavity microwave reactor. The products were structurally characterised by powder X-ray diffraction (PXD), while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were used to examine morphology and composition. The resulting carbonitrides crystallise with the rock salt structure and the cubic lattice parameters vary linearly with increasing titanium concentration (x), hence following Vegard's law. Particle sizes typically range from 250 nm to 2 μm.