Low-temperature nitriding of VA-group metal powders (V,Nb,Ta) in flowing NH3 gas under heating with concentrated solar beam at PSA

Over the last two decades, we have been using concentrated solar beam as the reaction heat source for synthesizing carbides and nitrides of d-group transition elements in view of usage of ecological renewable energy source in place of conventional heat sources using electricity or gas. In recent works [1,2] nitriding of VIa-group metals (Cr, Mo, W) and Fe in stream of NH3 gas with suppressed extent of dissociation (uncracked NH3) was attempted under heating with concentrated solar beam. It was demonstrated that mono-nitride -MoN of Mo and sub-nitride -Fe2N of Fe that are known to be impossible to synthesize in N2 gas environment even at elevated pressure p(N2) were successfully synthesized by the reactions of these metals in stream of NH3 gas under heating with concentrated solar beam up to 800oC. In the present work, nitriding of Va-group metals (V, Nb and Ta) was attempted in stream of NH3 gas under irradiation of concentrated solar beam. By up to 90 min heating in uncracked NH3 under concentrated solar beam up to 800oC, reaction products were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis to be consisted of mono-nitride MN co-existent with sub-nitride M2N.