Ali Mohammadi - Undergraduate Student, School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University of Tehran, Iran
Saeed Reza Sheibani - Associate Professor, School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University of Tehran, Iran

Delafossite compounds are materials of interest because of their unique properties. In this paper, Copper chromium oxide (CuCrO2 and CuCr2O4) nanocomposite powder was synthesized through solid-state reaction of Cu2O and Cr2O3 by mechanical milling method using high energy planetary ball mill and subsequent heat treatment. The structural and morphological changes during mechanical milling and heat treatment were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The effect of milling time on the structural properties of the CuCrO2 formation was investigated. It was observed that the reaction was not initiated after about 40 h mechanical milling. However, differential thermal analysis (DTA) and XRD studies on the synthesis process revealed that the formation temperature of delafossite phase occurred at about 900 °C. Also, the prepared CuCrO2 and CuCr2O4 composite nanopowder had relatively spherical shape with the mean particle size of about 200 nm.

Delafossite, CuCrO2, Mechanical alloying, Nanopowder