Carbothermal synthesis of titanium nitride: Part I Influence of starting materials

Studies of the reactivity of six TiO 2 samples (two rutiles and four anatases) and nine carbon samples towards the formation of TiN by reduction of TiO 2 with carbon in a nitrogen atmosphere at 1150°C show that the reaction is influenced by the chemical and physical properties of both the TiO 2 and the carbon. Although anatases and rutiles behave similarly, their reactivities are adversely affected by the presence of impurities such as those deliberately added as surface coatings in pigment-grade TiO 2 .