Preparation of AlN Powder Using Mesoporous Alumina and Its Characterization

Aluminum nitride was synthesized using a carbothermal method from mesoporous alumina having a high surface area (> 1,000 ㎡/g) as an aluminum source and CNTs (carbon nano tubes) as a carbon source. In this case the mesoporous alumina was used as the starting material instead of α-Al₂O₃ with the expectation that the mesopores in mesoporous alumina act as channels for N₂ gas and elimination of CO generated as by-product. It is also expected that the synthetic temperature should be lower compared to the use of α- Al₂O₃ as a starting material due to its high surface area. The crystallinity of the produced aluminum nitride was studied by XRD and FTIR, and the microstructure was investigated by FE-SEM. Also the purity of the aluminum nitride was analyzed through N/O determinator and ICP analysis.