Synthesis and characterization of highly luminescent beryllium nitride

• Published in: Materials letters Vol. 132; pp. 179 - 181
• Main Authors: García-Gutiérrez, R., Barboza-Flores, M., Berman-Mendoza, D., Contreras-López, O.E., Ramos-Carrazco, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.10.2014
• Subjects: Beryllium nitride; Beryllium nitrides; Chemical equilibrium; Crystallites; Diffraction; Horizontal; Luminescence; Phosphor; Polyhedrons; Quartz; Synthesis; Phosphor; Luminescence; Beryllium nitride
• ISSN: 0167-577X; 1873-4979
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2014.06.069

Highly luminescent beryllium nitride powder (Be3N2) has been synthesized by direct nitridation of metallic beryllium with ultra-high purity ammonia (NH3) in a horizontal quartz tube reactor at 1100°C. The calculated Gibbs free energy for this reaction at 1100°C is −602.20kJ/mol and the equilibrium constant is 2.7×1022, this make workable the process at the conditions chosen for this synthesis. The Be3N2 produced by this method is a light-gray powder which showed the typical high hardness of this material. The Be3N2 powders synthesized in this research consist mostly of agglomerates formed of regular cubic polyhedrons between one and two microns long each as shown by electron microscopy. These crystallites have a cubic structure as shown by X-ray diffraction and exhibit high intensity room temperature cathodoluminescence with a peak around 356nm (3.48eV), which is related to their near-band-edge emission. These properties make this material a strong candidate for wide-band optoelectronic applications such as ultraviolet-lasers, sensors and light-emitting diodes. •Beryllium nitride powders were grown by means of direct nitridation.•The crystallographic properties show the cubic crystalline structure of Be3N2.•Be3N2 powders show a strong emission centered at 356nm.•The optical emission remains unaffected with the change of temperature.