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Thermodynamic study and methanothermal temperature-programmed reaction synthesis of molybdenum carbide

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Abstract

Nanostructured molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) was successfully prepared from molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) using methanothermal temperature-programmed reaction. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that in presence of methane, the formation of Mo2C from MoO3 occurs through the path of MoO3 → MoO2 → Mo2C. The carburized MoO3 was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), CHNS/O analysis, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). At final carburization temperatures of 700 and 800°C and at methane contents ranging from 5vol% to 20vol%, Mo2C was the only solid product observed in the XRD patterns. The results indicated that the effect of methane content on the formation of the carbide phase is substantial compared with the effect of carburization time. Elemental analysis showed that at a final temperature of 700°C, the carbon content of carburized MoO3 is very close to the theoretical carbon mass percentage in Mo2C. At higher carburization temperatures, excess carbon was deposited onto the surface of Mo2C. High-surface-area Mo2C was obtained at extremely low heating rates; this high-surface-area material is a potential electrocatalyst.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Engineering Faculty, Sahand University of Technology, Sahand New Town, 51335-1996, Iran

    Parham Roohi, Reza Alizadeh & Esmaeil Fatehifar

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  1. Parham Roohi
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  2. Reza Alizadeh
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Correspondence to Reza Alizadeh.

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Roohi, P., Alizadeh, R. & Fatehifar, E. Thermodynamic study and methanothermal temperature-programmed reaction synthesis of molybdenum carbide. Int J Miner Metall Mater 23, 339–347 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-016-1243-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-016-1243-y

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