X‐ray Powder Diffraction Study of Molybdenum Oxides Formed From the Thermal Reactions of MoS2, MoS2/LiF, and MoS2/Ag in Air

摘要

MoS2 can generate useful molybdenum oxides by thermally reacting with LiF or Ag nanoparticles (NPs). MoS2 easily loses sulfide and reacts with oxygen gas upon heating in air to give orthorhombic molybdenum trioxide, α‐MoO3. Morphological changes of α‐MoO3 from 500 to 900°C were investigated using X‐ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The strong diffraction peaks of the (020), (040), and (060) planes at 800°C revealed highly anisotropic growth of the oxides with a layered crystal structure. In the presence of LiF, MoS2 reacts with oxygen gas to generate Li2MoO4 and MoO2, depending on the LiF concentration. In the presence of Ag NPs, the thermal reactions of MoS2 at 800 and 900°C give silver molybdates Ag2Mo2O7 and Ag2MoO4, respectively. These results demonstrate that MoS2 is an important precursor for generating useful molybdenum oxides on the surface of inert substrates without requiring sophisticated, expensive equipment.