Influence of propyl alcohol addition during processing of molybdenum trioxide powders: Observation of novel dual-wavelength excitation photochromism

The novel dual-wavelength excitation photochromic molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) powders are fabricated successfully via the hydrothermal method by the addition of propyl alcohol. The samples were fully characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis), and colorimetry. The characteristic spectrum of XRD demonstrates that the as-obtained products are highly pure. The results show that the flowerlike MoO3 sample with the inducer of propyl alcohol has better photochromic properties, which was analyzed by colorimetry. It is shown that both of the samples exhibit a strong adsorption band between 250 and 400 nm in the UV range. Moreover, the UV–vis spectra shows that MoO3 synthesized with added propyl alcohol absorbs light not only between 250 and 400 nm but also displays an additional band between 500 and 800 nm, demonstrating novel dual-wavelength excitation photochromic properties.