Predictive Synthesis of Transition Metal Carbide via Thermochemical Oxocarbon Equilibrium

Abstract

Fabricating nanoscale metal carbides is a great challenge due to them having higher Gibbs free energy of formation (ΔG°) values than other metal compounds; additionally, these carbides have harsh calcination conditions, in which metal oxidation is preferred in the atmosphere. Herein, we report oxocarbon-mediated calcination for the predictive synthesis of nanoscale metal carbides. The thermochemical oxocarbon equilibrium of CO–CO₂ reactions was utilized to control the selective redox reactions in multiatomic systems of Mo–C–O, contributing to the phase-forming and structuring of Mo compounds. By harnessing the thermodynamically predicted processing window, we controlled a wide range of Mo phases (MoO₂, α-MoC_1–x, and β-Mo₂C) and nanostructures (nanoparticle, spike, stain, and core/shell) in the Mo compounds/C nanofibers. By inducing simultaneous reactions of C–O (selective C combustion) and Mo–C (Mo carbide formation) in the nanofibers, Mo diffusion was controlled in C nanofibers, acting as a template for the nucleation and growth of Mo carbides and resulting in precise control of the phases and structures of Mo compounds. The formation mechanism of nanostructured Mo carbides was elucidated according to the CO fractions of CO–CO₂ calcination. Moreover, tungsten (W) and niobium (Nb) carbides/C nanofibers have been successfully synthesized by CO–CO₂ calcination. We constructed the thermodynamic map for the predictive synthesis of transition metal carbides to provide universal guideline via thermochemical oxocarbon equilibrium. We revealed that our thermochemical oxocarbon-mediated gas–solid reaction enabled the structure and phase control of nanoscale transition metal compounds to optimize the material–property relationship accordingly.