Rapid synthesis of Mo2N and Mo2C nanoparticles using non-toxic nitrogen sources in air atmosphere

This study demonstrated a simple and inexpensive route to synthesize molybdenum nitride (Mo2N) and molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) in a normal air atmosphere. Sodium molybdate (Na2MoO4) and dicyandiamide (C2N4H4) were selected as the reagent precursors. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that Na2MoO4 reacted with dicyandiamide to form Mo2N in the temperature range of 450–700 °C, whereas Mo2C formed at a higher temperature. Pure and highly crystalline Mo2N and Mo2C were obtained after washing the calcinated products with water. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results illustrated the size of Mo2N nanoparticles to be in the range of 3–10 nm. In comparison to conventional synthesis procedures, our method provides a better cost-effective alternative.