Synthesis and characterization of tantalum nitride nanopowder prepared through homogeneous reaction

Tantalum nitride powders with particle size of 20--50 nm were prepared by the homogeneous reduction in liquid ammonia, and were treated at the temperature range from 500℃ to 1 170℃. The results of XRD analysis indicate that the powders heated up to 500℃ are in the form of amorphous. The powder heated at 600℃ tends to transform into crystal, the powder heated to temperatures higher than 700℃ is clearly of crystal. The results of surface area analysis by BET show that the surface area of the powder increases as the heating temperature increases, and reaches a maximum value of 21.8 m^2/g at the heating temperature around 700℃.