Synthesis of New Materials by Laser Pyrolysis: ZrO₂, Y₂O₃:Ce and TiC _x N _y Nanoparticles

New developments concerning the synthesis of oxide and non oxide nanoparticles by laser pyrolysis are reported here. In order to be able to study the relations between the host and the guest in doped nanostructured luminescent oxide matrix, tetragonal ZrO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized with sizes as low as 3 nm in weighable amounts. Y₂O₃ nanoparticles doped with Ce were also prepared with grains in the 10–20 nm size range. Concerning the non-oxide materials, TiC, TiN, and TiC _x N _y nanopowders were obtained from simple annealing treatments performed on TiO₂/C nanocomposites grown by laser pyrolysis. The final crystalline phase was controlled by the initial C content and the annealing atmosphere. Once sintered, these materials will allow the study of the mechanical properties of nanostructured carbonitride ceramics.