Mechanochemical synthesis of CaMoO4 nanoparticles: kinetics and characterization

This research introduces the mechanosynthesis process for CaMoO4 nanoparticles by using MoO3 and CaO as initial reactants. An empirical model was developed to describe the kinetics of the reaction. X-ray diffraction was used at each step of the milling to evaluate the developed model. The experimental data and the results from the model are in good agreement. The synthesized powders in this research were characterized using X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, dynamic laser scattering, and photoluminescence spectroscopy techniques. Photoluminescence characterizations revealed that the synthesized CaMoO4 generated two photoluminescence emissions, at 377 nm (violet) and 515 nm (green). It was also observed that further milling of the synthesized powders changed the photoluminescence properties of the product. After 12 h of milling, the synthesized CaMoO4 generated a novel photoluminescence emission at 564 nm. The results of this research indicate that mechanical milling can be employed to control the photoluminescent properties of CaMoO4.