Fabrication of Ni-VC Nano composite powder from oxide reactants by mechanochemical method

This research aims to produce Ni-Vanadium Carbide composite nano powder, known as a hard metal, from oxide raw materials and magnesium as a reductant, using mechano-chemical method. With regard to the adiabatic temperature (T=3964 K), this reaction is a mechanically induced Self-sustaining (MSR) type. Raw materials were mixed according to stoichiometry reaction with a ratio of (1:1:6:2) for Nickel oxide, Vanadium oxide, Magnesium and graphite respectively. Milling was carried out in a planetary ball mill with a powder to ball ratio of 1:20 under argon gas atmosphere. After 40min of milling, combustion occurred out in the mill chamber. With regard to the results of X-ray difraction after the combustion, the intended products; that are, Nickel, Vanadium Carbide and Magnesium Oxide which is by-product of the reaction, were completely produced. HCl with a concentration of 9% was used to remove the magnesium oxide phase. The crystallite size and lattice strain were calculated using Williamson-Hall method, and the crystallite size and lattice strain of Ni and Vanadium Carbide were obtained 40nm, 0.00595, 54nm, 0.00615, respectively.