CONTROLLED REDUCTION OF COPPER TUNGSTATE IN H2O-H2 MIXTURES

The controlled reductions of copper tungstate, copper tungstate plus blue tungsten oxide and CuO plus WO3 have been studied at temperatures of 500, 600 and 700δC using H2/H2O mixtures in a glass thermobalance. The copper-tungsten oxide composite powder products have been characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The morphologies of the copper-tungsten oxide products have been related to the morphologies of copper-tungsten powders obtained by dry hydrogen reduction. It is shown that widely varying copper-tungsten oxide morphologies may be obtained as precursors for metal powder production by control of the H2/H2O ratio in the reducing gas mixture. © 1979 Chapman and Hall Ltd.