Reduction of WO to WC nanoparticles by the reflux reaction.

Tungsten carbide (WC) is an important material mostly used for cutting-tool applications. The reduction of WO to WC is realized by using several techniques. The existing chemical processes involved in its reduction are long and energy consuming. In our work, we make efforts to reduce WO to WC by the reflux reaction technique. The composite obtained after the reflux reaction is analyzed to check the feasibility of conversion of WO to WC. The preliminary study demonstrates the feasibility of this conversion. The proposed technique seems to be promising and cost-effective for the low-temperature synthesis of ultrafine WC particles. The synthesized powders are studied with the help of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-rays, and transmission electron microscopy for the phase identification and microstructural analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]