Synthesis of aluminum nitride nanoparticles by a facile urea glass route and influence of urea/metal molar ratio

Attention toward nanosized aluminum nitride (AlN) was rapidly increasing due to its physical and chemical characteristics. In this work, nanocrystalline AlN particles were prepared via a simple urea glass route. The effect of the urea/metal molar ratio on the crystal structure and morphology of nanocrystalline AlN particles was studied using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results revealed that the morphology and the crystal structure of AlN nanoparticles could be controlled by adjusting the urea/metal ratio. Furthermore, a mixture of Al2O3 and h-AlN was detected at the urea/metal molar ratio of 4 due to the inadequate urea content. With increasing the molar ratio, the pure h-AlN was obtained. In addition, the nucleation and growth mechanisms of AlN nanocrystalline were proposed.