How can I reset SSD on MacBook Air
Some disks (like Transcent Jetdrive disks) need specific drivers and do not function under and OS older than 10.12.. Try and boot into the different options for recovery (like Command-R / Option-Command-R / Shift-Option-Command-R) and see if the disk is recognized in any of the versions.

Apple gear boots from external drives easily so you can always get a usb connector to test if the drive will work and do an erase install. Only when you have the OS loaded, put the drive in the machine. 


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904