Production of tungsten carbide powder by the reaction of tungsten with ethanol

The possibility of synthesizing tungsten carbide powders by carburizing mesoporous tungsten powders using ethanol as a carbon source is shown. WC carbide was synthesized at the temperature of 730-900 °C, using argon or helium as a carrier gas in the interaction of tungsten with the products of thermal decomposition of ethanol. Carbide has a hexagonal crystal structure. The specific surface area of carbide powders reaches 13 m²⋅g⁻¹. Their average crystallite size determined by the X-ray method is 17-25 nm.