Laser induced structural transformations in hydrated MoO3 investigated by Raman spectroscopy

The structural evolution of as-synthesized hydrated MoO3 under laser irradiation was studied dynamically in this work by Raman spectroscopy. Under laser irradiation, a threshold laser power of 50mW, equivalent to a power density 17 x 10(6) W/m(2), was required to induce the changes in the local molecular structure of as-synthesized hydrated MoO3. The evolution of the sample under laser irradiation, near and well above the threshold power density, was investigated by collecting Raman spectra continuously as a function of time. The possibilities of reversibility of the sample to an amorphous state from a stage just after the onset of crystallization and from a polycrystalline stage induced by laser irradiation have also been investigated.