Direct Hydrothermal Precipitation of Pyrochlore-Type Tungsten Trioxide Hemihydrate from Alkaline Sodium Tungstate Solution

Pyrochlore-type tungsten trioxide hemihydrate (WO₃·0.5H₂O) powder with the average particle size of 0.5 μm was prepared successfully from the weak alkaline sodium tungstate solution by using organic substances of sucrose or cisbutenedioic acid as the acidification agent. The influences of solution pH and acidification agents on the precipitation process were investigated. The results showed that organic acidification agents such as sucrose and cisbutenedioic acid could improve the precipitation of pyrochlore WO₃·0.5H₂O greatly from sodium tungstate solution compared with the traditional acidification agent of hydrochloric acid. In addition, the pH value of the hydrothermal system played a critical role in the precipitation process of WO₃·0.5H₂O, and WO₃·0.5H₂O precipitation mainly occured in the pH range of 7.0 to 8.5. The precipitation rate of tungsten species in the sodium tungstate solution could reach up to 98 pct under the optimized hydrothermal conditions. This article proposed also the hydrothermal precipitation mechanism of WO₃·0.5H₂O from the weak alkaline sodium tungstate solution. The novel method reported in this study has a great potential to improve the efficiency of advanced tungsten trioxide-based functional material preparation, as well as for the pollution-reducing and energy-saving tungsten extractive metallurgy.