Low temperature molten salt preparation of molybdenum nanoparticles

Pure molybdenum (Mo) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a novel molten salt technique using Na2MoO4 and Al as starting materials and NaCl, KCl and NaF to form a reaction medium. The effects of salt type, reaction temperature and salt to reactant ratio on the synthesis of Mo NPs were investigated in detail. Phase pure Mo NPs with a crystalline size of about 46 nm were synthesized at as low as 650 degrees C which was much lower than that required by other conventional reduction methods. Among the salts tested, the NaCl-KCl-NaF ternary salt showed the best accelerating effect on the low temperature Mo NPs formation, and the optimal weight ratio of salt to reactant was 1.0:1.0. The "dissolution-precipitation mechanism" played a dominant role in the molten salt synthesis of Mo NPs. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.