The effect of phosphorus on the formation of tungsten dioxide: A novel morphology

The industrial production of tungsten is based on the hydrogen reduction of tungsten oxides, ammonium paratungstate (APT) or ammonium tungsten oxide bronze (ATOB). Hydrogen reduction is applied when high purity tungsten is required and when the addition of other elements or compounds (dopants) is desired for modification of the properties of the metal powder. The first stage of the reduction is finished when WO2 is formed and it seems that the efficient incorporation of the additives starts mainly at this reduction step. The study reported here was undertaken to investigate the effect of phosphorus dope on the morphology of the intermediate tungsten dioxide and analyze its influence on the grain size of the final tungsten metal powder. The authors observed star shaped morphology of WO2, a structure which has not been describe in the literature. Contrary to the well-known cauliflower shaped tungsten dioxide, these starlets are not pseudomorphic to the initial ATOB particles; they grow separately and have a great influence on the grain size of the final metal powder