title: Vanadium nitride
text: # Vanadium nitride
  
  Vanadium nitride, VN, is a chemical compound of vanadium and nitrogen.
  
  Vanadium nitride is formed during the nitriding of steel and increases wear resistance. Another phase, $V_2N,$ also referred to as vanadium nitride, can be formed along with VN during nitriding. VN has a cubic, rock-salt structure. There is also a low-temperature form, which contains $V_4$ clusters. The low-temperature phase results from a dynamic instability, when the energy of vibrational modes in the high-temperature NaCl-structure phase, are reduced below zero.
  
  It is a strong-coupled superconductor. Nanocrystalline vanadium nitride has been claimed to have potential for use in supercapacitors. The properties of vanadium nitride depend sensitively on the stoichiometry of the material.
  
  