Controllable Preparation of Spherical Molybdenum Nano-Powders by One-Step Reduction of APM in Radio Frequency Hydrogen Plasma

Spherical molybdenum nano-powders were in-situ ultrafast synthesized from ammonium paramolybdate (APM) raw materials in a one-step reduction method by radio frequency (RF) hydrogen plasma. Due to the extreme conditions of the RF plasma torch such as its high temperature and large temperature gradient, the injected raw APM powder was quickly gasified and then reduced into nano-sized metal molybdenum (Mo) powder. The influences of APM powder delivery rate and H(2) concentration on the properties of the obtained powders were investigated. Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nanolaser particle analyzer, and specific surface area method were used to characterize the morphology, phase, and particle size distribution of the powders. The results showed that the nano-sized Mo powder obtained by hydrogen plasma treatment had a quasi-spherical morphology and an average particle size of about 30 nm. The particle size could be successfully adjusted by varying H(2) concentrations. In addition, spherical nano-sized MoO(3) powder could be obtained when no H(2) was added into the RF plasma.