Synthesis of high-performance Mo–La2O3 powder by hydrogen reduction of MoO2 originated from a self-reduction strategy

A traditional preparation process of Mo powder is generally time-consuming and leads to coarse particles. In this work, we propose a short-flow strategy, in which the intermediate product of MoO2 is prepared by a one-step self-reduction method in air instead of a mixture of decomposition and hydrogen reduction processes. And the reaction mechanism of self-reduction is investigated and the consequent sintering performance of Mo powder is also compared with the traditional one. The obtained results demonstrate that the finally synthesized Mo–La2O3 powder prepared by the self-reduction strategy are spherical with an average particle size of 2.03 μm, exhibiting an excellent sintering performance with a relative density of 95.3% and a hardness of 260.6 (HV), better than those by a traditional one (93.4% and 232.4 (HV)), which can be attributed to smaller particle size and better shapes. This work provides a new route for the synthesis of Mo–La2O3 powder, indicating a possible industrial application.