Kyu Sup Hwang

Plasma synthesis of tungsten carbide nanopowder from tungsten hexachloride

Nanosized tungsten carbide powder was prepared by a thermal plasma process using tungsten hexachloride (WC16) as the precursor. The effects of plasma torch power and the molar ratio of reactant gases on the product composition and grain size were investigated. The produced tungsten carbide powder, which mainly consisted of the WC^,, phase, was heated in a hydrogen atmosphere to produce fully carburized WC phase. Finally, WC powder with particle size less than 100 nm was obtained.