Abstract
The effect of vacuum annealing temperature on the phase and chemical composition, particle size, and microstrains of nanocrystalline powders of tungsten carbide WC with particles from 20 to 60nm in size has been studied using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy methods. It is established that nanocrystalline WC powders stored in air, contain from 1 to 2wt.% of impurity oxygen. It is found that vacuum annealing of WC nanopowders at a temperature up to 1400°C is accompanied by appreciable decarburization and variation in the phase composition due to carbon desorption as a result of interaction with impurity oxygen. Annealing leads to coarsening of powder particles caused by intergrowth of aggregated nanoparticles and to decreasing microstrains.
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