Carbothermal synthesis of vanadium nitride: Kinetics and mechanism

Constant rate thermal analysis (CRTA) has been used for the first time to study the kinetics of the carbothermal reduction of V2O5 in nitrogen to obtain vanadium nitride. It is noteworthy to point out that CRTA method allows both a good control of pressure in the sample surroundings and the use of reaction rates low enough to keep temperatures gradients at a negligible level to avoid any heat or mass transfer phenomena. This method allows one to control the texture and the structure of many materials through kinetic control of the thermal treatment of the precursors. The precise control of the external parameters of the reaction shows that CRTA is an attractive method for kinetic studies and leads to more reliable kinetic data. It has been shown that the carbothermal synthesis of vanadium nitride is best described by a three‐dimensional diffusion kinetic model (the Jander equation) with an activation energy which falls in the range of 520–540 kJ/mol.