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Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of SiO2–Tac nanocomposites with controlled volume fraction

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An Erratum to this article was published on 05 August 2014

Abstract

Nanocrystalline tantalum carbide (TaC) particles of average size ~15 nm dispersed in silica matrix, have been synthesized by the carbothermal reduction of Ta2O5 over a range of temperature 1,100–1,360 °C in Ar atmosphere. Investigation of the stability diagram of carbon saturated Ta–O–N system suggests that the TaC phase can be successfully synthesized within the SiO2 matrix when the partial pressure of O2 and N2 are restricted to approximately lower than 1.25 and 0.0001 atm. respectively. Two different synthesis routes are investigated in the present study which differ fundamentally in the order of addition of the precursors, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and tantalum isopropoxide (Ta-iso). Rietveld refinement analyses of the powder X-ray diffraction data are carried out for the quantitative estimation of the two phases in the samples. The yield of TaC increases from 18 to 52 % when both TEOS and Ta-iso are added simultaneously to the water compared to the process where TEOS is added first to the water followed by the delayed addition of Ta-iso. Samples are further characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge support for characterization under the UGC UPE programme, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. One of the authors would also like to thank Department of Science and Technology Nano Mission, Government of India for providing financial support.

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Author notes

  1. Trisita Chatterjee

    Present address: Modern Institute of Engineering and Technology, Barol-Malimpur, Rajhat, Hooghly, 712123, West Bengal, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, 32, India

    Mahua Ghosh Chaudhuri

  2. Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, 32, India

    Kaustav Bhattacharjee, M. K. Mitra & G. C. Das

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  1. Trisita Chatterjee
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  2. Kaustav Bhattacharjee
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  3. Mahua Ghosh Chaudhuri
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Correspondence to Mahua Ghosh Chaudhuri.

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Chatterjee, T., Bhattacharjee, K., Chaudhuri, M.G. et al. Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of SiO2–Tac nanocomposites with controlled volume fraction. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 72, 189–196 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-014-3435-0

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