The main sources of tungsten are the high-grade concentrates of wolframite and scheelite ores. Tungsten metal powder is produced from these minerals typically through the intermediate product of ammonium paratungstate (APT). In a subsequent process, tungsten oxides are obtained from APT by calcination in an oxygen bearing atmosphere between 560 °C and 850 °C. Tungsten metal powder is then produced by reducing the oxides with H2. However, it is difficult to produce nanosized tungsten powder with conventional evaporation and condensation methods, due to the high temperature that is needed for evaporation. Nanosized tungsten powder can be produced by various methods such as the electrodeposition, sputtering, ball milling, and complicated chemical methods. But these methods involve multi-steps and have difficulty in establishing commercial application.

Tungsten trioxide (WO3) powder has been applied in production of light filaments and tungsten carbide. As more of its characteristics have been discovered, WO3 powder has expanded its applications in devices such as electrochromic display, semiconductor gas sensors and photocatalysts due to its outstanding electrochromic, gaschromic, thermochromic and optochromic properties. A WO3 powder with nanostructure is considered to possess enhanced properties mentioned above, owing to their large surface area and unique physical properties. 

Vanadium oxides include V2O3, V3O5, V4O7, V5O9, V6O13, VO2 and V2O5, in which the atom ratio of oxygen to vanadium varies from 1.5 to 2.5. Among them, VO2 presents a reversible first-order metal-insulator transition (MIT) at a critical temperature (Tc). Intensive investigations have been made on the preparation of VO2 and its properties. It is generally believed that VO2 is a monoclinic structure (M), and presents semiconductive and relatively infrared transparent below Tc, whereas it transforms into tetragonal structure (R), and presents metallic and infrared reflection above Tc. These features make the VO2 suitable for the applications in intelligent energy windows coating, optical switching devices, optical data storage medium, electrodes for electrochromics, lithium batteries and supercapacitors, etc. Nevertheless, the high critical transition temperature of VO2 material (about 68 °C) limits its application.

Molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) and tungsten carbide (WC) have attracted attention for nearly four decades, due to their noble metal-like behavior in heterogeneous catalysis. These materials are catalytically active in reactions such as hydrocarbon hydrogenolysis and isomerization, ammonia synthesis, methanation, methane reforming and water–gas shift. Existing strategies for preparing high surface area carbides frequently produce non-stoichiometric surfaces, containing either residual oxygen or excess carbon which can block the active surface. Thus, an effective method that can remove the surface carbon is necessary.

Tungsten heater is used in vacuum coating furnace, which is widely used to coat the surface of bottle lid. With the development of bottles and lids, beauty is not the only target now, fashion, anti-artificial, different are all the targets with the times going.

Ammonium paratungstate (APT), is a prevalent starting material in the production of tungsten oxides, catalysts, tungsten alloys, electrochromic materials and so on. It is produced by crystallization from purified ammonium tungstate solutions in batch and continuous processes. Commonly, repeated crystallization is used as a method of improving the quality of the product.

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Thermal decomposition of ammonium paratungstate (APT) in air has been investigated previously. The thermal decomposition of ammonium paratungstate (APT) in hydrogen (H2) now has been studied to investigate the decomposition process.

Low grade tungsten concentrate has such characteristics as a high content of calcium and impurities, and a low content of WO3. But it has a lower price than standard tungsten concentrate.

Ammonium paratungstate (APT), is an important starting material in tungsten industry. Through reduction of APT, produces most of the tungsten products, including tungsten trioxide, tungsten bronze, etc.