Synthesis of MoO3 nanoplates from a metallorganic molecular precursor

Orthorhombic phase MoO₃ nanoplates were synthesized directly by thermolysis of an air-stable metallorganic molecular precursor (molybdenum diethyldithiocarbamate oxide: Mo((C₂H₅)₂NCS₂)₂O₂, which was prepared simply through the precipitation reaction of ammonium peramolybdate and sodium diethyldithiocarbamate in distilled water under the ambient condition) in air at 350-400 °C for 5 h. The control experiments with ammonium peramolybdate as precursor could only obtain mostly irregular microcrystallites, indicating that the metallorganic molecular precursor, Mo((C₂H₅)₂NCS₂)₂O₂ played an important role in the successful synthesis of MoO₃ nanoplates.