Flame Synthesis of Aluminum Nitride Filler-Powder.

This short communication offered one of flame aerosol synthesis of aluminum nitride, AlN, as a new filler-powder supply-route for resin polymer composite system filled with ceramic particles, which would have a promising advantage in thermal conductivity. Flame AlN synthesis was based on the aerosol preparation of conventional LPG-O2-N2-NH3 system flame, and the particulate raw material. Effects of flame temperature and heat amount were studied on the direct-nitridation of Al through CH4, C3H8, C2H2 flame of LPG-O2-N2-NH3 system. As-prepared resultants were consisted of an Al-O-N system and a remained Al raw material, and their annealed powder was comprised of an AlN majority and a little α-Al2O3. Heating amount increments resulted in the yield-increase of polyphasic intermediate system of Al-O-N and that of AlN. Flame synthesized powder had a fairly large aerosol particle size, roughly 10 μm in average size, and a bimodal size distribution. Especially, the new AlN powder had a non-squarish shape rather than one of marketed products with angular morphology, which would be good for high-density packing. Feasible potential of this synthesis method was confirmed to provide the AlN powder having suitable properties as the filler-powder.