From design to characterization of zirconium nitride/silicon nitride nanocomposites. Issue 5 (May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bechelany, Mirna Chaker; Proust, Vanessa; Lale, Abhijeet; Balestrat, Maxime; Brioude, Arnaud; Gervais, Christel; Nishihora, Rafael Kenji; Bernard, Samuel
• Is Part Of: Journal of the European Ceramic Society. Volume 42:Issue 5(2022)
• Page Start: 2135
• Page End: 2145
• Publication Date: 2022-05
• Subjects: Nanocomposites -- Polymer-derived ceramics -- Si3N4 -- ZrN -- Optical properties; Ceramic materials -- Periodicals; Composite materials -- Periodicals; Matériaux céramiques -- Périodiques; Composites -- Périodiques; Ceramic materials; Composite materials; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 666.05
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2022.01.007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0955-2219

Abstract

Highlights: First demonstration of the low temperature formation of a rock salt ZrN nanophase within a surrounding Si3 N4 matrix. The structure of ZrN/Si3 N4 nanocomposites is finely tailored through the chemistry of Zr-modified organosilicon polymers. Nanocomposites propose promising optical properties as photocatalysts. Abstract: ZrN/Si3 N4 nanocomposites have been prepared by chemically crosslinking two polysilazanes with a zirconium-based compound and subsequent heat-treatment at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1600 °C. The polymer synthesis has been systematically investigated using FT-IR, solid-state NMR, and elemental analyses. Then, the pyrolysis under ammonia at 1000 °C trigering the thermo-chemical polymer-to-ceramic conversion was examined, leading to X-ray amorphous ceramics with yields governed by the chemistry of the neat polysilazane. Investigations of the structural evolution of the single-phase amorphous ceramic network above 1000 °C by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy pointed out that the ZrN phase already segregated at 1400 °C and formed highly crystalline ZrN/Si3 N4 nanocomposites at 1600 °C. HRTEM investigations validated the unique nanostructural feature of the nanocomposites made of ZrN nanocrystals distributed in α- and β-Si3 N4 phases. Our preliminary investigations of the optical properties showed that these structural changes allowed tuning the optical properties of ZrN/Si3 N4 nanocomposites.