Facile synthesis of MoO3 nanospheres and their application in water treatment

MoO3 nanospheres have been synthesized for the first time from MoO2(OH)(OOH) with the addition of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) through a facile hydrothermal process. The water-soluble MoO2(OH) (OOH), applied as the precursor, is obtained by the reaction between Mo powder and H2O2. The structure and morphology of the as-synthesized MoO3 products have been characterized. A typical orthorhombic structure with single-crystalline for the produced MoO3 materials is demonstrated by the XRD analysis, which is in accordance with the result exemplified by the EDS. Additionally, MoO3 with spherical morphology together with a diameter ranging from 30 to 100 nm has been shown by the FESEM. The presence of PVP is proved to be critical for the controllable synthesis of MoO3 nanospheres. Comparative experiments have been operated, and a PVP assistance reaction mechanism has been elucidated. Furthermore, the application in wastewater treatment for the adsorption of methylene blue by the produced MoO3 nanosphere has also been investigated. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.