Synthesis of metastable h-MoO3 by simple chemical precipitation

The hexagonal MoO3 with high purity was successfully synthesized via a simple solution approach. It was realized by chemical precipitation, hydrothermal treatment and calcination. In the procedure of precipitation, the concentrated HCl played a key role for the formation of the metastable h-MoO3. A variety of techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption spectrum and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were used to characterize the product.