CORRELATION BETWEEN STRUCTURAL STABILITY, OXIDATION BEHAVIOR AND LATTICE DYNAMICS IN GAMMA-IRRADIATED TiN NANOPARTICLES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58225/sw.2026.1-125-131Keywords:
TiN nanoparticles, gamma irradiation, Rietveld refinement, oxidation, Raman spectroscopy, lattice dynamicsAbstract
This study presents an integrated assessment of the crystal structure, post-irradiation oxidation behavior and vibrational response of titanium nitride (TiN) nanoparticles exposed to gamma radiation. Nanopowders with an average particle size below 20 nm were irradiated using a 60Co source at absorbed doses of 50, 200, 900 and 3500 kGy. Structural changes after annealing at 1173 K were examined by X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement, while dose-dependent lattice dynamics were evaluated by Raman spectroscopy in the 100–600 cm−1 range. The cubic Fm-3m structure remained stable throughout irradiation, and no radiation-induced phase transformation was detected. After annealing, rutile TiO2 was identified as a minor phase; its fraction decreased from 6.40 % in the unirradiated specimen to 3.88% after irradiation at 3500 kGy. High-dose irradiation followed by annealing reduced microstrain and dislocation density and increased the average crystallite size to approximately 50 nm. Four Raman modes near 152, 246, 359 and 500 cm−1 persisted at every dose, although their positions, widths and areas changed. The combined results show that gamma irradiation does not destabilize the TiN framework but modifies defects, interatomic distances and surface-bound species, thereby suppressing subsequent oxidation and altering the vibrational response.
- Views
- 127
- Downloads
- 115
References
[1] Akhtanova, G., Yerlanuly, Y., Parkhomenko, H. P., Solovan, M. V., Mostovyi, A. I., Nurmukhanbetova, A. K., Kireyev, A. V., Danko, I. V., Oreshkin, P. A., Zholdybayev, T. K., Janseitov, D. M., Ramazanov, T. S., & Brus, V. V. (2024). Electron irradiation-induced degradation of TiN thin films on quartz and sapphire substrates. ACS Omega, 9(1), 925–933. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c07053
[2] Gao, L., Gstöttner, J., Emling, R., et al. (2004). Thermal stability of titanium nitride diffusion barrier films for advanced silver interconnects. Microelectronic Engineering, 76(1–4), 76–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2004.07.020
[3] Patsalas, P., Kalfagiannis, N., Kassavetis, S., et al. (2018). Conductive nitrides: Growth principles, optical and electronic properties, and their perspectives in photonics and plasmonics. Materials Science and Engineering R: Reports, 123, 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mser.2017.11.001
[4] Xue, J. X., Zhang, G. J., Xu, F. F., et al. (2013). Lattice expansion and microstructure evaluation of Ar ion-irradiated titanium nitride. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 308, 62–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2013.05.011
[5] Popović, M., Novaković, M., Mitrić, M., et al. (2017). Xenon implantation effects on the structural and optical properties of reactively sputtered titanium nitride thin films. Materials Research Bulletin, 91, 36–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.materresbull.2017.03.031
[6] Chen, H. Y., & Lu, F. H. (2005). Oxidation behavior of titanium nitride films. Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, 23(4), 1006–1009. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.1914815
[7] Arai, Y., & Nakajima, K. (2000). Preparation and characterization of PuN pellets containing ZrN and TiN. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 281(2–3), 244–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3115(00)00393-7
[8] Fahrenholtz, W. G., Hilmas, G. E., Talmy, I. G., & Zaykoski, J. A. (2007). Refractory diborides of zirconium and hafnium. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 90(5), 1347–1364. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1551-2916.2007.01583.x
[9] Sutthiruangwong, S., & Mori, G. (2003). Corrosion properties of Co-based cemented carbides in acidic solutions. International Journal of Refractory Metals and Hard Materials, 21(3–4), 135–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-4368(03)00027-1
[10] Mahvash, F., Eissa, S., Bordjiba, T., Tavares, A. C., Szkopek, T., & Siaj, M. (2017). Corrosion resistance of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride on copper. Scientific Reports, 7, 42139. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep42139
[11] Morales, H. M., Vieyra, H., Sanchez, D. A., et al. (2024). Synthesis and characterization of titanium nitride–carbon composites and their use in lithium-ion batteries. Nanomaterials, 14(7), 624. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14070624
[12] Christensen, A. N., Romano, V., & Hesse, R. (1975). A neutron diffraction investigation on single crystals of titanium carbide, titanium nitride, and zirconium nitride. Acta Chemica Scandinavica A, 29A, 563–568. https://doi.org/10.3891/acta.chem.scand.29a-0563
[13] Saoula, N., Djerourou, S., Yahiaoui, K., et al. (2010). Study of the deposition of Ti/TiN multilayers by magnetron sputtering. Surface and Interface Analysis, 42(6–7), 1176–1179. https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.3299
[14] Cheng, Y. H., Tay, B. K., Lau, S. P., et al. (2002). Substrate bias dependence of Raman spectra for TiN films deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc. Journal of Applied Physics, 92(4), 1845–1849. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1491588
[15] Ding, Z. H., Yao, B., Qiu, L. X., & Lv, T. Q. (2006). Raman scattering investigation of nanocrystalline δ-TiNₓ synthesized by solid-state reaction. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 421(1–2), 247–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2005.11.017
[16] Deluca, M., Hu, H., Popov, M. N., et al. (2023). Advantages and developments of Raman spectroscopy for electroceramics. Communications Materials, 4, 78. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-023-00400-4
[17] Gupta, H., Joshi, K., Gautam, S. K., et al. (2020). Raman scattering from irradiated nanocrystalline zinc oxide thin films: Perspective view on effects of energy loss, ion fluence, and ion flux. Vacuum, 181, 109598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vacuum.2020.109598
[18] Biradar, S., Chandrashekara, M. N., Manjunatha, Dinkar, A., Devidas, G. B., Bennal, A. S., Rajaramakrishna, R., & Sayyed, M. I. (2024). Synergistic optimization of physical, thermal, structural, mechanical, optical and radiation shielding characteristics in borate glasses doped with Bi₂O₃. Optical Materials, 155, 115815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2024.115815
[19] Jiang, W., Fu, Q., Wei, H., & Yao, A. (2019). TiN nanoparticles: Synthesis and application as near-infrared photothermal agents for cancer therapy. Journal of Materials Science, 54, 5743–5756. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-03272-z
[20] Cao, L., Zhang, Q., Du, L., et al. (2024). Synthesis and characterization of high-entropy (TiVNbTaM)₂AlC (M = Zr, Hf) ceramics. Journal of Advanced Ceramics, 13(2), 237–246. https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2024.9220847
[21] Hazem, R., Izerrouken, M., Cheraitia, A., & Djehlane, A. (2019). Raman study of ion beam irradiation damage on nanostructured TiO₂ thin film. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 444, 62–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2019.02.011
[22] Rana, A., Sharma, N. K., Bera, S., et al. (2024). Tuning the plasmonic resonance in TiN refractory metal. Scientific Reports, 14, 7905. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55000-0
[23] Trang, V. T. T., Hang, H. T., Nhi, P. Q., et al. (2024). Enhancement of photothermal conversion by TiN nanoparticles-embedded black paint and applications in solar drying of red chilli. Materials, 17(17), 4393. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17174393
[24] Okrusch, M., Hock, R., Schüssler, U., Brummer, A., Baier, M., & Theisinger, H. (2003). Intergrown niobian rutile phases with Sc- and W-rich ferrocolumbite: An electron-microprobe and Rietveld study. American Mineralogist, 88(7), 986–995. https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2003-0706
[25] Dutta, S., Chattopadhyay, S., Sarkar, A., Chakrabarti, M., Sanyal, D., & Jana, D. (2009). Role of defects in tailoring structural, electrical and optical properties of ZnO. Progress in Materials Science, 54(1), 89–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2008.07.002
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Alena Shershneva, Mahmoud Ibrahim (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
