Facile synthesize α-MoO3 nanobelts with high adsorption property

A simple approach is explored to synthesize orthorhombic MoO3 (α-MoO3) nanobelts using sodium molybdate (Na2MoO4) and fluoboric acid (HBF4). In the reaction, HBF4 not only serves as a reagent to provide H+, but also a surfactant to manipulate the morphology and crystalline phase of the as-prepared products. The results show that the as-prepared samples are MoO3 nanobelts with 300 nm in width, 50 nm in thickness and 2-5 μm in length. Moreover, the possible formation mechanism of α-MoO3 nanobelts with HBF4 is studied. Finally, devoted to the belt-like shape and high stability, the MoO3 nanobelts exhibit a good adsorption performance for methyl blue (MB).