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 degrees C to 1 170 degrees C. The results of XRD analysis indicate that the powders heated up to 500 degrees C are in the form of amorphous. The powder heated at 600 degrees C tends to transform into crystal, the powder heated to temperatures higher than 700 degrees C 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 degrees C.