Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
The characteristics of nanosized silicon nitride powders with doped Y2O3 and Al2O3 fabricated by a plasma-reacted chemical process were investigated. The chemical compositions of the powders were analyzed by wet chemical analysis. The morphology and the size distribution were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to verify the existence of sintering additives in each individual particle. The crystal structure of the powders was identified by the selected area diffraction pattern (SADP). X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was used for phase analysis and the measurement of degree of crystallinity. The characteristics of chemical bonding was analyzed by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).