High-temperature phases in ternary Zr–O–N systems

Zirconium aerosol was ignited and burned in atmospheric pressure air in microgravity using a 2.2-s drop tower. Combustion products were collected and analyzed using electron microscopy. The elemental composition analyses indicated that combustion product compositions fell along two linear traces on a ternary Zr–O–N diagram. Currently, the equilibrium Zr–O–N phases are not characterized at temperatures above 2000 °C, typical of zirconium combustion in air, and it is suggested that the phases detected in zirconium combustion products can serve as a guide to further studies of the Zr–O–N system at high temperatures. It is also suggested that experimental metal combustion techniques can be adopted for studying high-temperature metal–gas phase equilibria.