Novel Way to Synthesize Nanocrystalline Aluminum Nitride from Coarse Aluminum Powder

A new process has been developed for the synthesis of nanocrystalline AIN powder by the nitridation of coarse aluminum powder in flowing NH 3 gas, using NH 4 Cl and KCI as additives. The resulting powders have been characterized using XRD, TEM, and XRF techniques. XRD-pure AIN nanoparticles with a diameter of 10-20 nm can be obtained by nitridation at 1273 K for 5 h. NH 3 is proved to eliminate the effect of water impurity. The effects of the additives on the conversion of aluminum are also discussed.