Nitridation of chromium powder in ammonia atmosphere

CrN powder was synthesized by nitriding Cr metal in ammonia gas flow, and its chemical reaction mechanism and nitridation process were studied. Through thermodynamic calculations, the Cr-N-O predominance diagrams were constructed for different tempera- tures. Chromium nitride formed at 700-1200℃ under relatively higher nitrogen and lower oxygen partial pressures. Phases in the products were then investigated using X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and the Cr2N content varied with reaction temperature and holding time. The results indicate that the Cr metal powder nitridation process can be explained by a diffusion model. Further, Cr2N formed as an intermediate product because of an incomplete reaction, which was observed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. After nitriding at 1000℃ for 20 h, CrN powder with an average grain size of 63 nm was obtained, and the obtained sample was analyzed by using a scanning electron microscope （SEM）.