Effects of Atmosphere and Temperature on the Preparation of Tungsten Carbide via a One-Step Method

Tungsten carbide was prepared via a one step method, made from the compound of carbon black and tungstic acid. The tungsten precursor with small size was supported on carbon nanotubes as template, while H2 and N2 were used for providing deoxidization and protection atmosphere. In addition, two key conditions of atmosphere and temperature were investigated. The results show, if the reaction temperature is higher than 800 °C, and before H2 and N2 pass through the reaction tube which was in vacuum state, WO3 can be carbonized into W, and then carbonized into W2C, and W2C further carbonized into WC. The method can realize the production of tungsten carbide with controllable morphology and low cost.