Nanoarray Architecture of Ultra-Lithiophilic Metal Nitrides for Stable Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium metal anode (LMA) is puzzled by the serious issues corresponding to infinite volume change and notorious lithium dendrite during long-term stripping/plating process. Herein, the transition metal nitrides array with outstanding lithiophilicity, including CoN, VN, and Ni₃ N, are decorated onto carbon framework as "nests" to uniform Li nucleation and guide Li metal deposition. These transition metal nitrides with excellent conductivity can guarantee the fast electron transport, therefore maintain a stable interface for Li reduction. In addition, the designed multi-dimensional structure of metal nitride array decorated carbon framework can effectively regulate the growth of Li metal during the stripping/plating process. Of note, attributing to the lattice-matching between CoN and Li metal, the composite Li/CoN@CF anode exhibits ultra-stable cycling performance in symmetrical cells (over 4000 h@1 mA cm^-2 with 1 mAh cm^-2 and 1000h@20 mA cm^-2 with 20 mAh cm^-2 ). The assembled full cells based on Li/CoN@CF composite anode, LiFePO₄ or S as cathodes, deliver excellent cycling stability and rate capability. This strategy provides an effective approach to develop a stable lithium metal anode for lithium metal batteries.

Mo3Ni2N Nanoparticle Generation by Spark Discharge

Spark ablation is an advantageous method for the generation of metallic nanoparticles with defined particle sizes and compositions. The reaction of the metal particles with the carrier gas during the synthesis and, therefore, the incorporation of those light elements into structural voids or even compound formation was confirmed for hydrides and oxides but has only been suspected to occur for nitrides. In this study, dispersed nanoparticles of Mo₃Ni₂N and Mo with Janus morphology, and defined particle sizes were obtained by spark discharge generation as a result of carrier gas ionization and characterized using transmission electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. Metal nitrides possess beneficial catalytic and thermoelectric properties, as well as high hardness and wear resistance. Therefore, this method offers the possibility of controlled synthesis of materials which are interesting for numerous applications.

Plasma-Assisted Synthesis of Metal Nitrides for an Efficient Platinum-Group-Metal-Free Anion-Exchange-Membrane Fuel Cell

In comparison to the well-developed proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells, anion-exchange-membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) permit adoption of platinum-group-metal (PGM)-free catalysts due to the alkaline environment, giving a substantial cost reduction. However, previous AEMFCs have generally shown unsatisfactory performances due to the lack of effective PGM-free catalysts that can endure harsh fuel cell conditions. Here we report a plasma-assisted synthesis of high-quality nickel nitride (Ni₃N) and zirconium nitride (ZrN) employing dinitrogen as the nitrogen resource, exhibiting exceptional catalytic performances toward hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction in an alkaline enviroment, respectively. A PGM-free AEMFC assembled by using Ni₃N as the anode and ZrN as the cathode delivers power densities of 256 mW cm^-2 under an H₂-O₂ condition and 151 mW cm^-2 under an H₂-air condition. Furthermore, the fuel cell shows no evidence of degradation after 25 h of operation. This work creates opportunities for developing high-performance and durable AEMFCs based on metal nitrides.

High-Alkaline Water-Splitting Activity of Mesoporous 3D Heterostructures: An Amorphous-Shell@Crystalline-Core Nano-Assembly of Co-Ni-Phosphate Ultrathin-Nanosheets and V- Doped Cobalt-Nitride Nanowires

Introducing amorphous and ultrathin nanosheets of transition bimetal phosphate arrays that are highly active in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) as shells over an electronically modulated crystalline core with low hydrogen absorption energy for an excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) can boost the sluggish kinetics of the OER and HER in alkaline electrolytes. Therefore, in this study, ultrathin and amorphous cobalt-nickel-phosphate (CoNiPOx ) nanosheet arrays are deposited over vanadium (V)-doped cobalt-nitride (V3% -Co4 N) crystalline core nanowires to obtain amorphous-shell@crystalline-core mesoporous 3D-heterostructures (CoNiPOx @V-Co4 N/NF) as bifunctional electrocatalysts. The optimized electrocatalyst shows extremely low HER and OER overpotentials of 53 and 270 mV at 10 mA cm-2 , respectively. The CoNiPOx @V3% -Co4 N/NF (+/-) electrolyzer utilizing the electrocatalyst as both anode and cathode demonstrates remarkable overall water-splitting activity, requiring a cell potential of only 1.52 V at 10 mA cm-2 , 30 mV lower than that of the RuO2 /NF (+)/20%-Pt/C/NF (-) electrolyzer. Such impressive bifunctional activities can be attributed to abundant active sites, adjusted electronic structure, lower charge-transfer resistance, enhanced electrochemically active surface area (ECSA), and surface- and volume-confined electrocatalysis resulting from the synergistic effects of the crystalline V3% -Co4 N core and amorphous CoNiPOx shells boosting water splitting in alkaline media.

Hollow Capsule NiCo2 NS Prepared by Self-Sacrificing Template Method for High-Efficiency Bifunctional Catalyst and Its Application in Zn-Air Battery

Exploring the application of high-efficiency bifunctional oxygen catalysts to rechargeable zinc-air batteries has been a research hotspot in recent years. We succeeded in obtaining NiCo₂ NS with a hollow capsule structure through the self-sacrificing template method, which has a larger specific surface area and can provide more active sites for electrocatalysis relative to his solid. The introduction of S can change the valence distribution of N and the electronic structure of the M-N bond, so that NiCo₂ NS exhibits excellent performance in the overpotential and stability of the oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions. It shows an overpotential of 154 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 and a half-wave potential of 0.76 V. When used as a bi-functional catalyst in zinc-air batteries, it exhibits good stability within 400 h. The flexible battery assembled by NiCo₂ NS also shows excellent performance, and can be cycled stably for 20 h. The current maintains good stability when it is bent at different angles during the cycle.

Pressure-stabilized high-energy-density material YN10

Polynitrogen compounds have been intensively studied for potential applications as high energy density materials, especially in energy and military fields. Here, using the swarm intelligence algorithm in combination with first-principles calculations, we systematically explored the variable stoichiometries of yttrium-nitrogen compounds on the nitrogen-rich regime at high pressure, where a new stable phase of YN₁₀adoptingI4/msymmetry was discovered at the pressure of 35 GPa and showed metallic character from the analysis of electronic properties. In YN₁₀, all the nitrogen atoms weresp²-hybridized in the form of N₅ring. Furthermore, the gravimetric and volumetric energy densities were estimated to be 3.05 kJ g^-1and 9.27 kJ cm^-1respectively. Particularly, the calculated detonation velocity and pressure of YN₁₀(12.0 km s^-1, 82.7 GPa) was higher than that of TNT (6.9 km s^-1, 19.0 GPa) and HMX (9.1 km s^-1, 39.3 GPa), making it a potential candidate as a high-energy-density material.

Magneto-Ionics in Single-Layer Transition Metal Nitrides

Magneto-ionics allows for tunable control of magnetism by voltage-driven transport of ions, traditionally oxygen or lithium and, more recently, hydrogen, fluorine, or nitrogen. Here, magneto-ionic effects in single-layer iron nitride films are demonstrated, and their performance is evaluated at room temperature and compared with previously studied cobalt nitrides. Iron nitrides require increased activation energy and, under high bias, exhibit more modest rates of magneto-ionic motion than cobalt nitrides. Ab initio calculations reveal that, based on the atomic bonding strength, the critical field required to induce nitrogen-ion motion is higher in iron nitrides (≈6.6 V nm^-1) than in cobalt nitrides (≈5.3 V nm^-1). Nonetheless, under large bias (i.e., well above the magneto-ionic onset and, thus, when magneto-ionics is fully activated), iron nitride films exhibit enhanced coercivity and larger generated saturation magnetization, surpassing many of the features of cobalt nitrides. The microstructural effects responsible for these enhanced magneto-ionic effects are discussed. These results open up the potential integration of magneto-ionics in existing nitride semiconductor materials in view of advanced memory system architectures.

Hybrid Transition-Metal Oxide and Nitride@N-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide Electrodes for High-Performance, Flexible, and All-Solid-State Supercapacitors

Nanoscale composites for high-performance electrodes employed in flexible, all-solid-state supercapacitors are being developed. A series of binder-free composites, each consisting of a transition bimetal oxide, a metal oxide, and a metal nitride grown on N-doped reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-wrapped nickel foam are obtained by using a universal strategy. Three different transition metals, Co, Mo, and Fe, are separately compounded with nickel ions, which originate from the nickel foam, to form three composites, NiCoO₂ @Co₃ O₄ @Co₂ N, NiMoO₄ @MoO₃ @Mo₂ N, and NiFe₂ O₄ @Fe₃ O₄ @Fe₂ N, respectively. These as-prepared active materials have similar regular variation patterns in their properties, including better conductivity and battery-mimicking pseudocapacitance, which result in their high whole-electrode capacitance performance [2598.3 F g^-1 (39.85 F cm^-2 ), 3472.6 F g^-1 (41.43 F cm^-2 ) and 1907.5 F g^-1 (3.41 F cm^-2 ) for the composites incorporating Co, Mo, and Fe, respectively]. The as-assembled flexible, all-solid-state NiCoO₂ @Co₃ O₄ @Co₂ N//KOH/PVA//NiCoO₂ @Co₃ O₄ @Co₂ N device can be easily bent and exhibits high energy density and power density of 92.8 Wh kg^-1 and 1670.4 W kg^-1 , respectively. The universality of this design strategy could allow it to be employed in producing hybrid materials for high-performance energy-storage devices.

Top-Down Reactive Approach for the Synthesis of Disordered ZrN Nanocrystalline Bulk Material from Solid Waste

Transition metal nitrides possess superior mechanical, physical, and chemical properties that make them desirable materials for a broad range of applications. A prime example is zirconium nitride (ZrN), which can be obtained through different fabrication methods that require the applications of high temperature and pressure. The present work reports an interesting procedure for synthesizing disordered face centered cubic (fcc)-ZrN nanoparticles through the reactive ball milling (RBM) technique. One attractive point of this study is utilizing inexpensive solid-waste (SW) zirconium (Zr) rods as feedstock materials to fabricate ZrN nanopowders. The as-received SW Zr rods were chemically cleaned and activated, arc-melted, and then disintegrated into powders to obtain the starting Zr metal powders. The powders were charged and sealed under nitrogen gas using a pressurized milling steel vial. After 86 ks of milling, a single fcc-ZrN phase was obtained. This phase transformed into a metastable fcc-phase upon RBM for 259 ks. The disordered ZrN powders revealed good morphological characteristics of spherical shapes and ultrafine nanosize (3.5 nm). The synthetic ZrN nanopowders were consolidated through a spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique into nearly full-density (99.3% of the theoretical density for ZrN) pellets. SPS has proven to be an integral step in leading to desirable and controlled grain growth. Moreover, the sintered materials were not transformed into any other phase(s) upon consolidation at 1673 K. The results indicated that increasing the RBM time led to a significant decrease in the grain size of the ZrN powders. As a result, the microhardness of the consolidated samples was consequently improved with increasing RBM time.

Molecularly Thin Nitride Sheets Stabilized by Titanium Carbide as Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Fiber-Shaped Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries

With the ever-increasing growth in next-generation flexible and wearable electronics, fiber-shaped zinc-air batteries have attracted considerable attention due to their advantages of high energy density and low cost, though their development, however, has been seriously hampered by the unavailability of efficient electrocatalysts. In this work, we designed a trimetallic nitride electrocatalyst in an unusual molecular sheet form, which was stabilized by metallic titanium carbide sheets. Besides the expected elevation in catalytic activity toward the oxygen evolution reaction, the material simultaneously unlocked excellent catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction with the half-wave potential as small as 0.84 V. A flexible fiber-shaped zinc-air battery, employing the designed electrocatalyst as the air cathode and a gel as the electrolyte, demonstrated an enhanced and durable electrochemical performance, outputting a competitive energy density of 627 Wh kg_zn^-1. This work opens new avenues for utilizing two-dimensional sheets in future wearable and portable device applications.

Nickel-Based Transition Metal Nitride Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Electrocatalysis is an efficient and promising means of energy conversion, with minimal environmental footprint. To enhance reaction rates, catalysts are required to minimize overpotential. Alternatives to noble metal electrocatalysts are essential to address these needs on a large scale. In this context, transition metal nitride (TMN) nanoparticles have attracted much attention owing to their high catalytic activity, distinctive electronic structures, and enhanced surface morphologies. Nickel-based materials are an ideal choice for electrocatalysts given nickel's abundance and low cost in comparison to noble metals. In this Minireview, advancements made specifically in Ni-based binary and ternary TMNs as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are critically evaluated. When used as OER electrocatalysts, Ni-based nanomaterials with 3 D architectures on a suitable support (e.g., a foam support) speed up electron transfer as a result of well-oriented crystal structures and also assist intermediate diffusion, during reaction, of evolved gases. 2 D Ni-based nitride sheet materials synthesized without supports usually perform better than 3 D supported electrocatalysts. The focus of this Minireview is a systematic description of OER activity for state-of-the-art Ni-based nitrides as nanostructured electrocatalysts.

From Cubes to Dice: Solvent-Regulated Morphology Engineering of Endohedral Fullerene Microcrystals with Anomalous Photoluminescence Enhancement

Despite recent successes in preparing three-dimensional crystals of empty fullerenes, such as C₆₀ and C₇₀ , 3D endohedral fullerene crystals, and especially hollow nanostructures, have been scarcely reported. A universal approach has now been developed to prepare shape-tunable 3D crystals of several metal nitride clusterfullerenes, including cubes and dice (hollow cubes with holes at the center of each face), which can be readily switched by changing the volume ratio of good (mesitylene) and poor (isopropanol) solvents. Synchrotron-based soft X-ray nano-computed tomography was used to unambiguously identify the interior microstructure of the dice-shaped crystals of Tb₃ N@C₈₀ , and especially the depth of the hole at each face, confirming that the dice has a solid center and the holes are not interconnected. Owing to the enhanced light absorption, the dice-shaped crystals exhibit enhanced photoluminescence relative to that of the cubes.

Improving Polysulfides Adsorption and Redox Kinetics by the Co4 N Nanoparticle/N-Doped Carbon Composites for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Improved conductivity and suppressed dissolution of lithium polysulfides is highly desirable for high-performance lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, by a facile solvent method followed by nitridation with NH₃ , a 2D nitrogen-doped carbon structure is designed with homogeneously embedded Co₄ N nanoparticles derived from metal organic framework (MOF), grown on the carbon cloth (MOF-Co₄ N). Experimental results and theoretical simulations reveal that Co₄ N nanoparticles act as strong chemical adsorption hosts and catalysts that not only improve the cycling performance of Li-S batteries via chemical bonding to trap polysulfides but also improve the rate performance through accelerating the conversion reactions by decreasing the polarization of the electrode. In addition, the high conductive nitrogen-doped carbon matrix ensures fast charge transfer, while the 2D structure offers increased pathways to facilitate ion diffusion. Under the current density of 0.1C, 0.5C, and 3C, MOF-Co₄ N delivers reversible specific capacities of 1425, 1049, and 729 mAh g^-1 , respectively, and retains 82.5% capacity after 400 cycles at 1C, as compared to the sample without Co₄ N (MOF-C) values of 61.3% (200 cycles). The improved cell performance corroborates the validity of the multifunctional design of MOF-Co₄ N, which is expected to be a potentially promising cathode host for Li-S batteries.

Tungsten Nitride Nanodots Embedded Phosphorous Modified Carbon Fabric as Flexible and Robust Electrode for Asymmetric Pseudocapacitor

Owing to the excellent physical properties of metal nitrides such as metallic conductivity and pseudocapacitance, they have recently attracted much attention as competitive materials for high-performance supercapacitors (SCs). However, the voltage window for metal nitride-based symmetric SCs is limited (0.6-0.8 V) in aqueous electrolyte due to the oxidation at high negative potentials. In this respect, ultra-small tungsten nitride particles onto the phosphorous modified carbon fabric (W₂ N@P-CF) are engineered as a promising hybrid electrode for pseudocapacitors. Additionally, the fact that the W₂ N@P-CF electrode can operate in the negative potential region is exploited to design asymmetric pseudocapacitors by coupling with a polypyrrole on carbon fabric (PPy@CF) as the positive electrode. Remarkably, the W₂ N@P-CF//PPy@CF asymmetric cell can be cycled in a wide voltage window of 1.6 V that is almost two times higher than that of metal nitrides symmetric SCs. The pseudocapacitive behavior with matching different potential regions of W₂ N@P-CF and PPy@CF, considerably enhance performance of asymmetric device. The device delivers high volumetric capacity (7.1 F cm^-3 ), high energy (2.54 mWh cm^-3 ), power densities, and good cycling stability (88%) over 20 000 cycles. Thus, pseudocapacitive metal nitride-based devices hold a great promise to provide high voltage and improved energy density in aqueous electrolyte.

Single-Crystal Nitrogen-Rich Two-Dimensional Mo5N6 Nanosheets for Efficient and Stable Seawater Splitting

Transition metal nitrides (TMNs) have great potential for energy-related electrocatalysis because of their inherent electronic properties. However, incorporating nitrogen into a transition metal lattice is thermodynamically unfavorable, and therefore most of the developed TMNs are deficient in nitrogen. Consequently, these TMNs exhibit poor structural stability and unsatisfactory performance for electrocatalytic applications. In this work, we design and synthesize an atomically thin nitrogen-rich nanosheets, Mo₅N₆, with the help of a Ni-inducing growth method. The as-prepared single-crystal electrocatalyst with abundant metal-nitrogen electroactive sites displays outstanding activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in a wide range of electrolytes (pH 0-14). Further, the two-dimensional Mo₅N₆ nanosheets exhibit high HER activity and stability in natural seawater that are superior to other TMNs and even the Pt benchmark. By combining synchrotron-based spectroscopy and the calculations of electron density of state, we find that the enhanced properties of these nitrogen-rich Mo₅N₆ nanosheets originates from its Pt-like electronic structure and the high valence state of its Mo atoms.

Nitrogen-Plasma-Activated Hierarchical Nickel Nitride Nanocorals for Energy Applications

Developing transition metal nitrides with unique nanomorphology is important for many energy storage and conversion processes. Here, a facile and novel one-step approach of growing 3D hierarchical nickel nitride (hNi₃ N) on Ni foam via nitrogen plasma is reported. Different from most conventional chemical synthesis, the hNi₃ N is obtained in much shorter growth duration (≤15 min) without any hazardous or reactive sources and oxide precursors at a moderate reaction zone temperature of ≤450 °C. Among possible multifunctionalities of the obtained nanocoral hNi₃ N, herein the performance in reversible lithium ion storage and electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is demonstrated. The as-obtained hNi₃ N delivers a considerable cycling performance and rate stability as a lithium ion battery anode, and its property can be further enhanced by coating the hNi₃ N surface with graphene quantum dots. The hNi₃ N also serves as an active OER catalyst with high activity and stability. Additionally, on the basis of controlled growth under different nitrogen plasma treatment time, the formation mechanism of the nanocoralline hNi₃ N is outlined for further extension to other materials. The results on time- and energy-efficient nitrogen-plasma-based preparation of hNi₃ N pave the way for the development of high-performance metal nitride electrodes for energy storage and conversion.

Nitrogen Photofixation over III-Nitride Nanowires Assisted by Ruthenium Clusters of Low Atomicity

In many heterogeneous catalysts, the interaction of supported metal species with a matrix can alter the electronic and morphological properties of the metal and manipulate its catalytic properties. III-nitride semiconductors have a unique ability to stabilize ultra-small ruthenium (Ru) clusters (ca. 0.8 nm) at a high loading density up to 5 wt %. n-Type III-nitride nanowires decorated with Ru sub-nanoclusters offer controlled surface charge properties and exhibit superior UV- and visible-light photocatalytic activity for ammonia synthesis at ambient temperature. A metal/semiconductor interfacial Schottky junction with a 0.94 eV barrier height can greatly facilitate photogenerated electron transfer from III-nitrides to Ru, rendering Ru an electron sink that promotes N≡N bond cleavage, and thereby achieving low-temperature ammonia synthesis.

Transition Metal Carbides and Nitrides in Energy Storage and Conversion

High-performance electrode materials are the key to advances in the areas of energy conversion and storage (e.g., fuel cells and batteries). In this Review, recent progress in the synthesis and electrochemical application of transition metal carbides (TMCs) and nitrides (TMNs) for energy storage and conversion is summarized. Their electrochemical properties in Li-ion and Na-ion batteries as well as in supercapacitors, and electrocatalytic reactions (oxygen evolution and reduction reactions, and hydrogen evolution reaction) are discussed in association with their crystal structure/morphology/composition. Advantages and benefits of nanostructuring (e.g., 2D MXenes) are highlighted. Prospects of future research trends in rational design of high-performance TMCs and TMNs electrodes are provided at the end.

Powder-XRD and (14) N magic angle-spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy of some metal nitrides

Some metal nitrides (TiN, ZrN, InN, GaN, Ca3 N2 , Mg3 N2 , and Ge3 N4 ) have been studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and (14) N magic angle-spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR spectroscopy. For Ca3 N2 , Mg3 N2 , and Ge3 N4 , no (14) N NMR signal was observed. Low speed (νr  = 2 kHz for TiN, ZrN, and GaN; νr  = 1 kHz for InN) and 'high speed' (νr  = 15 kHz for TiN; νr  = 5 kHz for ZrN; νr  = 10 kHz for InN and GaN) MAS NMR experiments were performed. For TiN, ZrN, InN, and GaN, powder-XRD was used to identify the phases present in each sample. The number of peaks observed for each sample in their (14) N MAS solid-state NMR spectrum matches perfectly well with the number of nitrogen-containing phases identified by powder-XRD. The (14) N MAS solid-state NMR spectra are symmetric and dominated by the quadrupolar interaction. The envelopes of the spinning sidebands manifold are Lorentzian, and it is concluded that there is a distribution of the quadrupolar coupling constants Qcc 's arising from structural defects in the compounds studied.

All Metal Nitrides Solid-State Asymmetric Supercapacitors

Two metal nitrides, TiN porous layers and Fe2 N nanoparticles, are grown uniformly with the assistance of atomic layer deposition on vertically aligned graphene nanosheets and used as the cathode and anode for solid-state supercapacitors, respectively. Full cells are constructed and show good flexibility, high-rate capability, and 98% capacitance retention after 20,000 cycles.

Epitaxial superlattices with titanium nitride as a plasmonic component for optical hyperbolic metamaterials

Titanium nitride (TiN) is a plasmonic material having optical properties resembling gold. Unlike gold, however, TiN is complementary metal oxide semiconductor-compatible, mechanically strong, and thermally stable at higher temperatures. Additionally, TiN exhibits low-index surfaces with surface energies that are lower than those of the noble metals which facilitates the growth of smooth, ultrathin crystalline films. Such films are crucial in constructing low-loss, high-performance plasmonic and metamaterial devices including hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs). HMMs have been shown to exhibit exotic optical properties, including extremely high broadband photonic densities of states (PDOS), which are useful in quantum plasmonic applications. However, the extent to which the exotic properties of HMMs can be realized has been seriously limited by fabrication constraints and material properties. Here, we address these issues by realizing an epitaxial superlattice as an HMM. The superlattice consists of ultrasmooth layers as thin as 5 nm and exhibits sharp interfaces which are essential for high-quality HMM devices. Our study reveals that such a TiN-based superlattice HMM provides a higher PDOS enhancement than gold- or silver-based HMMs.

Ammonia-in-oil-microemulsions and their application

Liquid ammonia on the nanoscale: Ammonia-in-oil microemulsions are used to synthesize Bi, Re, CoN, and GaN nanoparticles, which can be obtained without further thermal treatment. These microemulsions are as reproducible and simple as their water-in-oil conterparts, with the exception of the required low temperature of -40 °C.

Mechanical Properties of Titanium Nitride Nanocomposites Produced by Chemical Precursor Synthesis Followed by High-P,T Treatment

We investigated the high-P,T annealing and mechanical properties of nanocomposite materials with a highly nitrided bulk composition close to Ti₃N₄. Amorphous solids were precipitated from solution by ammonolysis of metal dialkylamide precursors followed by heating at 400–700 °C in flowing NH₃ to produce reddish-brown amorphous/nanocrystalline materials. The precursors were then densified at 2 GPa and 200–700 °C to form monolithic ceramics. There was no evidence for N₂ loss during the high-P,T treatment. Micro- and nanoindentation experiments indicate hardness values between 4–20 GPa for loads ranging between 0.005–3 N. Young's modulus values were measured to lie in the range 200–650 GPa. Palmqvist cracks determined from microindentation experiments indicate fracture toughness values between 2–4 MPa·m^1/2 similar to Si₃N₄, SiC and Al₂O₃. Significant variations in the hardness may be associated with the distribution of amorphous/crystalline regions and the very fine grained nature (~3 nm grain sizes) of the crystalline component in these materials.