Facile Azidothermal Metathesis Route to Gallium Nitride Nanoparticles

Abstract

This report describes a straightforward, metathesis (exchange) reaction between gallium chloride and sodium azide that produces gallium nitride nanoparticles below 210°C. Slowly heating these two reagents together circumvents rapid, exothermic reactions, which can decompose the nitride product. The resulting GaN powders are nanocrystalline and crystallize to the hexagonal phase upon annealing. Well-formed nanoparticles (ca. 50 nm) are clearly resolved in annealed samples, while as-synthesized particles sizes are near 10 nm.