Vapor phase synthesis of multicomponenent Si-N-Ti powders

Multicomponent nanopowders can be produced using vapor phase ammonolysis of SiC14/TiCl4 mixtures at 800'C and 1000'C. Uniform particles with spherical morphology and diameters between 150 nm and 350 nm are obtained. At 800'C, crystalline TiN nuclei are formed. They are overlaid by amorphous Si-N(H)-Ti-Cl compounds, and chlorine is distributed over the whole particle. In addition, NH4C1 is formed as a by-product. Thermal post-treatment at 900'C in a NH3 atmosphere is necessary to obtain chlorine-free powders. The morphology of the powders is not changed during the post-treatment process.