Nano-structured Aluminum Nitride (AlN) in a pure form and in the wurtzite phase of AlN from nut shells

Abstract

Nano-structures of Aluminum Nitride and a method of producing nano-structures of Aluminum Nitride from nut shells comprising milling agricultural nuts into a fine nut powder, milling nanocrystalline Al2O3 into a powder, mixing, pressing the fine nut powder and the powder of nanocrystalline Al2O3, heating the pellet, maintaining the temperature of the pellet at about 1400° C., cooling the pellet, eliminating the residual carbon, and forming nano-structures of AlN. An Aluminum Nitride (AlN) product made from the steps of preparing powders of agricultural nuts using ball milling, preparing powders of nanocrystalline Al2O3, mixing the powders of agricultural nuts and the powders of nanocrystalline Al2O3 forming a homogenous sample powder of agricultural nuts and Al2O3, pressurizing, pyrolizing the disk, and reacting the disk and the nitrogen atmosphere and forming AlN.

What we claim is: 
     
         1 . A nano-structured Aluminum Nitride (AlN) in a pure form and in the wurtzite phase of AlN from nut shells made from the steps of:
 preparing powders of agricultural nuts using ball milling including stainless steel milling media;   preparing powders of nanocrystalline Al 2 O 3  using ball milling including stainless steel milling media;   mixing the powders of agricultural nuts and the powders of nanocrystalline Al 2 O 3  using ball milling including stainless steel milling media and thereby forming a homogenous sample powder of agricultural nuts and Al 2 O 3 ;   pressurizing the homogenous sample powder of agricultural nuts and Al 2 O 3  into a disk;   heat treating or pyrolizing the disk in a nitrogen atmosphere; and   reacting the disk and the nitrogen atmosphere and forming AlN;   wherein the AlN is nano-structured AlN and in a pure form and in the wurtzite phase of AlN.   
     
     
         2 . The nano-structured Aluminum Nitride (AlN) in a pure form and in the wurtzite phase of AlN from nut shells of  claim 1  further comprising the step of:
 eliminating residual carbon by placing the disk in air after the step of reacting the disk and the nitrogen atmosphere and forming AlN. 
 
     
     
         3 . The nano-structured Aluminum Nitride (AlN) in a pure form and in the wurtzite phase of AlN from nut shells of  claim 2   wherein the step of heat treating or pyrolizing the disk comprises temperatures exceeding 1400° C. for an interval of 5-6 hours in a nitrogen atmosphere.   
     
     
         4 . The nano-structured Aluminum Nitride (AlN) in a pure form and in the wurtzite phase of AlN from nut shells of  claim 1   wherein the step of eliminating the residual carbon by placing the disk in air involves a temperature of 670° C.; and   wherein the step of heat treating or pyrolizing the disk comprises a conventional furnace.   
     
     
         5 . A nano-structured Aluminum Nitride product from nut shells in a pure form and in the wurtzite phase from the steps comprising:
 milling agricultural nuts into a fine nut powder;   milling nanocrystalline Al 2 O 3  into a powder;   mixing the fine nut powder with the powder of nanocrystalline Al 2 O 3 ;   pressing the fine nut powder and the powder of nanocrystalline Al 2 O 3  into a pellet;   providing a nitrogen atmosphere;   heating the pellet to a temperature of about 1400° C.;   maintaining the temperature of the pellet at about 1400° C.;   cooling the pellet in air to a temperature of about 670° C.;   eliminating the residual carbon; and   forming nano-structures of AlN.   
     
     
         6 . A nano-structured Aluminum Nitride product from nut shells in a pure form and in the wurtzite phase from the steps comprising:
 milling agricultural nuts into a fine nut powder;   milling nanocrystalline Al 2 O 3  into a powder;   mixing the fine nut powder with the powder of nanocrystalline Al 2 O 3 ;   wherein the fine nut powder of agricultural nuts is prepared using ball milling with a SPEX 8000M including stainless steel milling media;   wherein the powder of nanocrystalline Al 2 O 3  is prepared using ball milling including stainless steel milling media;   wherein the fine nut powder of agricultural nuts and the powder of nanocrystalline Al 2 O 3  are mixed using ball milling including stainless steel milling media and thereby forming a homogenous sample powder of agricultural nuts and Al 2 O 3 ;   pressing the fine nut powder and the powder of nanocrystalline Al 2 O 3  into a pellet;   providing a nitrogen atmosphere;   heating the pellet to a temperature of about 1400° C.;   wherein the step of heating the pellet comprises a conventional furnace; and   wherein the step of pressing utilizes a hydraulic press;   maintaining the temperature of the pellet at about 1400° C.;   cooling the pellet in air to a temperature of about 670° C.;   eliminating the residual carbon; and   forming nano-structures of AlN;   wherein the AlN is nano-structured AlN and in a pure form and in the wurtzite phase of   wherein an 18 kW rotating anode generator and a high resolution powder diffractometer characterize the structure of the nano-structured AlN in a pure form and in the wurtzite phase with monochromatic CuKα radiation and further using a 514 nm laser line to obtain Raman spectra on an inVia Raman Microscope and scanning at about 15 mW laser power and an integration period of 30 seconds.