Thermal and structural studies of carbon coated Mo₂C synthesized via in-situ single step reduction-carburization

Carbon coated nano molybdenum carbide (Mo₂C) has been synthesized at 800 °C through single step reduction route using molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) as a precursor, polypropylene (P.P) as a carbon source and magnesium (Mg) as a catalyst in an autoclave. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis techniques (TG/DTA/DTG), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Williamson- Hall (W-H) analysis has been done to estimate various parameters like strain, stress and strain energy density. Multi-stage kinetic analysis of the product phase has been studied to establish the nature of the thermal decomposition. Coats-Redfern method applied to determine the mechanism involved in the decomposition of the product phase shows that initial and final stage follow F1 mechanism whereas middle stage follow F3 mechanism. The activation energy (E _a) and pre-exponential factor (A) has also been determined. The morphological studies shows that the particles have partially spherical/faceted shape, with carbon coated having wide particle size distribution. The surface chemistry and surface area analysis were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET), respectively. The formation mechanism of carbon coated Mo₂C nano particles has been predicted based on the XRD, TG/DTA & DTG and microstructural results.