Microwave-Assisted Preparation and Hydrazine Decomposition Properties of Nanostructured Tungsten Carbides on Carbon Nanotubes

Nearly monodispersed nanostructured tungsten carbide particles on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have successfully been synthesized by microwave-assisted metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at atmospheric pressure in a fluidized bed reactor. The results show that the tungsten carbide particles with 2-5 nm on CNTs can be formed several minutes and the particle sizes increase with the increase of microwave irradiation time. The preoxidation of CNTs is not necessary in the microwave-assisted MOCVD. The resulting materials are active catalysts for hydrazine decomposition and exhibit high selectivity to hydrogen, indicating that nanostructured tungsten carbides on CNTs is an inexpensive and promising alternative to the noble-metal catalysts for hydrazine decomposition. The microwave-assisted MOCVD is of great potential in the controlled synthesis of supported catalytic materials.