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Synthesis of tungsten oxide nanoparticles using a hydrothermal method at ambient pressure

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Abstract

Tungsten oxide (WO3) nanostructures receive sustained interest for a wide variety of applications, and especially for its usage as a photocatalyst. It is therefore important to find suitable methods allowing for its easy and inexpensive large scale production. Tungstite (WO3·H2O) nanoparticles were synthesized using a simple and inexpensive low temperature and low pressure hydrothermal (HT) method. The precursor solution used for the HT process was prepared by adding hydrochloric acid to diluted sodium tungstate solutions (Na2WO4·2H2O) at temperatures below 5 °C and then dissolved using oxalic acid. This HT process yielded tungstite (WO3·H2O) nanoparticles with the orthorhombic structure. A heat treatment at temperatures at or above 300 °C resulted in a phase transformation to monoclinic WO3, while preserving the nanoparticles morphology. The production of WO3 nanoparticles using this method is therefore a three step process: protonation of tungstate ions, crystallization of tungstite, and phase transformation to WO3. Furthermore, this process can be tailored. For example, we show that WO3 can be doped with cesium and that nanorods can also be obtained. The products were characterized using powder x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (including electron energy-loss spectroscopy and electron diffraction), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The partial support from NSEC Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing at the University of Massachusetts (National Science Foundation award 1025020). NSF for its support (award 0701525) to the Nanoscopy Facility, an electron microscopy facility at UPR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00936-8377, USA

    Majid Ahmadi & Maxime J.-F. Guinel

  2. Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark

    Reza Younesi

  3. Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00936-8377, USA

    Maxime J.-F. Guinel

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  1. Majid Ahmadi
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Correspondence to Maxime J.-F. Guinel.

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Ahmadi, M., Younesi, R. & Guinel, M.JF. Synthesis of tungsten oxide nanoparticles using a hydrothermal method at ambient pressure. Journal of Materials Research 29, 1424–1430 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2014.155

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