Morphology-controlled synthesis of Mo compounds from a nitric acid solution by the microwave heating and/or Zr-addition

Morphology-controlled synthesis of Mo compounds from a nitric acid solution by microwave heating was investigated for effective utilization of Mo fission product from a high level nuclear waste. The microwave heating method was revealed to greatly accelerate the crystallization and crystal growth of the synthesized Mo compound powders. Addition of a small amount of Zr stabilized the hexagonal-MoO3 phase of the synthesized compounds. Furthermore, the microwave heating with the Zr-addition has led to synthesis of a specific urchin-like-shaped hexagonal-MoO3 crystal having a good crystallinity. The present method would be useful for the effective utilization of Mo from the high level nuclear waste in terms of their practicability and ability to control the morphology.