Direct fabrication and nitridation of a high-quality NaTaO3 crystal layer onto a tantalum substrate†
Abstract
High-quality nano-/microtextured NaTaO3 crystal layers were successfully fabricated on Ta substrates at a relatively low temperature using molten NaNO3 as the starting material. Ta substrates coated with an aqueous NaNO3 solution were heated at 500 °C in an infrared heating furnace, whereupon Ta reacted with NaNO3 (which acted as both the Na source and the flux) to afford a layer of densely packed cubic NaTaO3 crystals that adhered readily onto the substrate. Nitridation of the NaTaO3 crystal layer by heating at 850 °C under an NH3 flow yielded a Ta3N5 crystal layer. The crystals retained their original size and shape but became highly porous after nitridation. TEM observations clearly indicated that the porous cubic crystals consisted of highly crystalline