Synthesis of nanosized t-ZrO2-TiN composite powder by in-situ selective ammonolysis method

The nano ZrO2(3Y)-TiO2 composite powder was prepared by co-precipitation method using compounds containing Zr, Y, and Ti as precursors. The as-synthesized nano ZrO2(3Y)-TiO2 composite powder was in-situ selective nitride using ammonia gas to obtain nanosized t-ZrO2-TiN composite powder. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were adopted for the characterization of the composite powders obtained under different ammonolysis conditions. The influences of the ammonolysis temperature and the holding time on the powder properties were investigated. It is concluded that TiO2 was nitrided to TiN at 800 degrees C similar to 1 300 degrees C for 5 h, while t-ZrO2 wasn't nitrided. The composite powder that TiN is homogenously dispersed into ZrO2 matrix was obtained. The size of the composite powder is in the nano scale.