Nano crystalline tungsten mono-carbide synthesis from tungstic acid and polyacrylonitrile mixed powder

Abstract

An easy processing route has been developed for a nano-sized crystalline tungsten mono-carbide (WC) material. Starting materials for WC synthesis were made by simply mixing tungstic acid (H₂WO₄) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) powders. The starting powders were applied to heat treatment at 1200°C for 30 min with an argon gas flow in an alumina tube. Tungsten mono-carbide has been successfully synthesized in PAN/H₂WO₄ weight ratios of more than 0.6. The acquired WC powder had a nano-sized crystalline and high-specific surface area. Crystalline size and specific surface area were estimated to approximate 50 nm and 17.2 m² g^–1, respectively.