Synthesis of Ta10W alloy nanopowders by molten salt-assisted magnesiothermic reduction

This study proposed a two-step method based on chemical precipitation followed by molten-salt-assisted magnesium reduction for the preparation of compositionally uniform Ta10W refractory alloy nano-powders. Initially, a composite oxide precursor with atomic-level homogeneous distribution of Ta and W was obtained through chemical precipitation and subsequent calcination. Using this precursor as the raw material, the target alloy powder was successfully synthesized via molten-salt magnesium reduction at 1000?°C. Results demonstrated that the as-prepared Ta10W powder exhibits an ellipsoidal morphology, with a particle size predominantly below 80?nm, and possesses a single solid?solution structure characterized by a lattice parameter of 0.334?nm. This study confirms that the atomic-scale homogeneity of the precursor, the high?temperature process, and the enhanced mass transfer mediated by the molten salt are key factors for achieving single?phase and uniform Ta10W alloy nano-powders.