Abstract
(Oxy)nitride materials have attractive properties directly related to the role played by nitrogen. A commonly used synthesis method consists of the thermal nitridation of an oxide precursor in flowing ammonia. In such a solid-gas reaction the reactivity of the oxide precursors is an important parameter, and soft chemistry routes may be advantageously utilized to prepare them. As a consequence of the anionic N3-/O2- substitution results an increase in the covalent character, illustrated by a continuous shift of the absorption edge towards higher wavelength values. Thus, oxynitrides offer potentialities as optical materials in the domain of colored pigments, UV absorbers and visible-light photocatalysts.
