Nitridization of the Zr – V metal pair and evaluation of the thermal emf of the synthesized ceramic sample

Binary compact nitrides were synthesized by nitriding the Zr – V pair while preserving the shape of the initial metal blanks. The kinetic and voltage dependences of the nitridization process are determined. For individual metals and the junction region, the interaction with nitrogen proceeds by different mechanisms. Pure metals react with nitrogen through the formation of three and two-layer structures. Nitridization of the junction area is accompanied by the decomposition of the Zr – V solid solution with the separation of metallic vanadium at the grain boundaries as a separate phase. At the same time, the products of the reaction with nitrogen are mutually dissolved: solid solutions of nitrogen in both metals and their nitrides of different stoichiometry. The ceramic formation process is accompanied by vanadium diffusion in an area with a lower concentration and the formation of intermetallic Zr0,3V0,6N0,1, which does not interact with nitrogen at the synthesis temperature. For gradient and ceramic structures (Zr – V)Nx in the temperature range –195.7 – +550 °C, the nature of the dependence of the thermo-EMF on the nitriding time is established and its value is estimated. The resulting ceramic and gradient materials can be used as ceramic thermoelectric converters.