Synthesis of high-quality ferrovanadium nitride by carbothermal reduction nitridation method

High-quality ferrovanadium nitride (FeV45N, FeV55N and Fe65N) was fabricated using the raw materials of Fe3O4, V2O5 and graphite via carbothermal reduction nitridation method. Compared with the traditional methods, it shortens the production process of ferrovanadium nitride by avoiding the preparation of ferrovanadium. The effects of C/O molar ratio and reaction temperature on phase transition, density, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen contents and microstructure were investigated. The appropriate C/O molar ratio is crucial to obtain the products with high nitrogen content. It is also found that a higher temperature is beneficial for the densification, and the density of the products obtained at 1550 degrees C is much higher than that at 1500 degrees C. Moreover, a higher temperature contributes to the increase in nitrogen content owing to the higher reaction kinetics. The carbothermal reduction nitridation method is proved to be a facile route to fabricate cost-effective ferrovanadium nitride and is possible to be applied for industrial production.

Automated summary

This study successfully fabricated high-quality ferrovanadium nitride using the carbothermal reduction nitridation method, shortening the production process and increasing the nitrogen content and density of the products. Higher reaction temperatures were found to be beneficial for the densification and nitrogen content of the products.