Synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline titanium nitride powder from rutile and anatase as precursors

In this research nanosized titanium nitride powder was synthesized through reaction of titanium oxide with ammonia gas. The reaction was carried out at a very slow heating rate. Two different TiO2 starting powders contained rutile and anatase phase and differed in initial particle size and surface area. The crystallite size of TiN powders synthesized at 1000 °C was obtained about 40 nm for anatase sample. Surface area and particle size were found to be 19 m2/g, 70 nm for rutile sample and 31 m2/g, 39 nm for anatase sample, respectively. The rutile sample showed an increasing trend in surface area during conversion to the nitride, whilst the anatase sample followed an adverse trend. TiN powder synthesized from anatase had the highest surface area and smallest particle size due to the specification of initial precursor.