Chemical States of Lanthanum in Carbonized La2O3-Mo Thermionic Cathode Materials

The chemical reaction between lanthanum oxide and molybdenum carbide was studied by thermodynamic calculation, thermal analysis and in-situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The theoretical results show that at the environment allowing for the evaporation of lanthanum, such as in high vacuum, La2O3 in the La2O3-Mo materials can be reduced to metallic lanthanum by molybdenum carbide (Mo2C). To confirm the conclusion, many analysis methods such as XRD, SPS, and TG-DTA were taken. The experimental results show that the chemical state of lanthanum changes during heating. It was proved, for the first time, that reacted metallic lanthanum appears at the surface of this kind of material at high temperature.