title: In situ controlled growth of titanium nitride in amorphous silicon nitride: a general route toward bulk nitride nanocomposites with very high hardness.
abstract: Bulk nanocomposites possessing very high hardness in which TiN nanocrystallites are homogeneously embedded in an amorphous Si3N4 matrix are produced from perhydropolysilazane and tetrakisdimethylaminotitanium. That is, a low-molecular-weight TiN molecule is mixed in controlled molar ratio with a polymeric Si3N4 precursor; further processing, including ammonolysis, warm pressing, and controlled nanocrystal growth, yields nanocomposites with the desired properties.
authors.affiliation: IEM (Institut Europeen des Membranes), UMR 5635 (CNRS-ENSCM-UM2), Universite Montpellier 2, Place E. Bataillon, F-34095, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Mirna Chaker
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bechelany
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Proust
authors.forename: Christel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gervais
authors.forename: Rudy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghisleni
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miele
keywords: bulk; hardness; nanocomposites; silicon nitride; titanium nitride