II. NAJAFI - Nanotechnology Group, Faculty of Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, P.O. Box. ۱۴۱۱۵-۱۴۳ Islamic Republic of Iran
M. Kokabi - Polymer Engineering Department, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, P.O Box: ۱۴۱۱۵-۱۱۴, Islamic Republic of Iran

we report here a new and novel method based on a polyacrylamide hyrogel-combustion process to prepare Ca-o. SiAlON nanopowder with the composition of CalSigAls ON15. In this route, three-dimensional (3D) polyacrylamide network provide nano-cavities for growth of nanoparticles and carbon for carbothermal reduction-nitridation (CRN) process. The homogeneous dried xerogel was heated at 1450C for 60 min using nitrogen flow as a nitridation agent. The crystalline structures of as-prepared nanopowders were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphology and particle size were also examined by field emission electron microscopy (FESEM). As a result, neither unreacted phase nor impurity was observed after soaking time of 1 hour. Based on the FESEM observation, the Ca-o. SiAlON nanopowders have mean particle size around 50 nm.

Nanostructures; Alpha SiAlON; Polyacrylamide hydrogel; Synthesis; FESEM