Synthesis of New Nanocrystalline Titanium–Niobium Oxynitride Powders

New titanium–niobium oxynitride (Ti_{1? z} Nb _z O _x N _y ) powders were synthesized by ammonolysis of nanosized TiO₂/Nb₂O₅ composite powders at 700°–900°C for 5 h. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that the as-synthesized powders were pure cubic structures with sizes of 30–60 nm. With increasing value of z , XRD peaks of Ti_{1? z} Nb _z O _x N _y powders tended to shift toward low 2θ angle and the cell parameter showed a linear increase.