Copper Tungstate Powder

copper tungstate powder is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula CuWO4. In powder form, it has unique electrical, thermal, optical and catalytic properties for specialized applications.

Composition & Characteristics

Table 1: Typical Composition and Characteristics of Copper Tungstate Powder

Parameter	Details
Chemical Formula	CuWO4
Color	Blue to bluish-green powder
Crystal Structure	Triclinic
Melting Point	~1,095°C
Density	6.3 g/cm3
Refractive Index	2.19
Thermal Conductivity	~6.3 W/mK
Electrical Resistivity	~2 x 10^7 ohm-cm @ 25°C

The color, density, particle size distribution and other powder properties depend on production method and post-treatment steps like calcination.

copper tungstate powder Production Methods

Key methods to produce copper tungstate powder include:

• Solid State Reaction – Mixing and heating copper oxide and tungsten oxide precursors
• Sol-Gel – Drying and calcining sol-gels derived from copper/tungsten solution precursors
• Hydrothermal – Reacting copper and tungsten compounds in hot, pressurized water
• Combustion Synthesis – Exothermic redox reaction using fuels like glycine to produce fine nano-sized powders

Calcination follow-up is often vital to develop desired crystalline phases. Analytical methods confirm phase purity.

Major Applications

Table 2: Major Applications of Copper Tungstate Powder

Application Area	Specific Uses
Catalysts	Oxidation catalyst for organic synthesis
Phosphors	Blue-emitting phosphor for LEDs, detectors
Metal Oxide Varistors	Carrier mobility regulation, nonlinearity
Gas Sensors	Hydrogen, alcohol, LPG sensing
Electrochromic Films	Optical absorption modulation devices

The electrical, electrochemical, thermal and photocatalytic traits of copper tungstate suit it for electro-optical niche applications.

Technical Specifications

Table 3: Typical Specifications of Copper Tungstate Powder

Parameter	Typical Value
Purity	≥ 99%
Particle Size (D50)	2-5 microns
Crystal Phases	Triclinic, Hexagonal
Apparent Density	0.8-1.1 g/cc
True Density	6.2-6.4 g/cc
Specific Surface Area	5-12 m2/g
Color	Blue/Blue-green
Morphology	Irregular particles

The specifications depend on intended functionality and can be customized accordingly.

copper tungstate powder Pricing

Table 4: Price Ranges for Copper Tungstate Powder from Major Suppliers

Supplier	Price per Kg
Sigma Aldrich	$340 – $460
Alfa Aesar	$72 – $340
Stanford Advanced Materials	$100 – $450
American Elements	$139 – $612

Pricing varies based on quality grade, order volumes, customization needs and geographical factors.

Pros vs Cons of copper tungstate powder

Table 5: Advantages vs Limitations of Copper Tungstate Powder

Pros	Cons
Multifunctional electro-optical properties	Challenging to synthesize phase-pure powder
Nano-sized particles offer high performance	Limited large-scale commercial availability
Composition can be doped and tailored	Toxicity of copper requires careful handling
Low-cost constituent elements	Hygroscopic nature affects stability

Despite some handling challenges, copper tungstate’s wide range of catalytic, electrical and optical characteristics lend well to cutting-edge technologies like energy storage devices, smart sensors for IoT, among other applications.

FAQs

Q: What is copper tungstate used for in the chemical industry?

A: Copper tungstate finds application as a selective oxidation catalyst for organic compounds and intermediates across agrochemicals, bulk and fine chemicals, vitamin synthesis and other sectors.

Q: Is copper tungstate naturally occurring?

A: No, copper tungstate is an engineered synthetic compound formed by combination of oxides, salts or elemental mixtures of copper and tungsten. It does not occur naturally.

Q: What determines the electrical properties of copper tungstate?

A: Defect structure and carrier mobility are keys, along with presence of grain boundaries. Doping and composite synthesis are approaches for modulating conductivity mechanisms in copper tungstate.

Q: Is copper tungstate soluble in water?

A: No, copper tungstate has extremely low solubility in water (Ksp = 10^-93). But ammonia solutions can dissolve it to yield cationic complexes. Acidic solutions turn it into hydrated oxides of W and Cu.

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