Formation and control of zinc nitride in a molten LiCl–KCl–Li3N system

We investigated a possibility of electrochemical formation and control of zinc nitride in a molten LiCl–KCl–Li3N system at 673 K. Zinc nitride films were obtained by means of potentiostatic electrolysis of zinc electrodes in the melt. From XRD analysis, it was confirmed that obtained films consisted of Zn3N2 and LiZnN and that the composition of each film was effected by the applied potential value. In the potential range from 0.75 to 1.6 V (versus Li+/Li), the ratio of Zn3N2 increased as the applied potential was more positive. Based on the result, we achieved the formation of Zn3N2 film (3–5 μm) in anti-scandium oxide structure (a = 0.977 nm) by means of potentiostatic electrolysis at 1.6 V for 3 h.