Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry, Vol. 53, No. 1, March, 2017 (Russian Original Vol. 53, No. 1, January-February, 2017) EFFECT OF ULTRASONIC TREATMENT ON FORMATION OF NANODIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES IN ZnO–MoO 3 SYSTEM UDC 544.1, 66.084.8 V. A. Zazhigalov, 1 O. V. Sachuk, 1 N. S. Kopachevska, 1 V. L. Starchevskyy, 2 and Z. Sawlowicz 3 The effect of ultrasonic treatment on transformations in the ZnO–MoO 3 oxide system with atomic ratios Zn/Mo = 15 : 85, 25 : 75, 50 : 50, and 75 : 25 was investigated. It was shown that sonochemical activation leads to phase transformations in molybdenum oxide, its reduction with the formation of molybdenum suboxides (Mo 8 O 23 , Mo 4 O 11 ), and chemical reaction between the initial oxides with the formation of zinc molybdate (á-ZnMoO 4 ). Nanoparticles with increased specific surface area and pore size compared with the initial compositions are formed. Similarities were found between the sonochemical and mechanical activation of composites of the system. Key words: sonochemistry, nanoparticles, oxides, molybdenum suboxides, zinc molybdate. It is known that oxide compounds based on zinc and molybdenum are of interest in connection with the fact that they are used as materials for cryogenic phonon-scintillation/bolometric detectors [1], UHF-dielectric and photoelectric devices [2], and photocatalysts and catalysts [3, 4]. In [5-9] traditional methods such as coprecipitation, solid-phase synthesis, microwave hydro- and solvothermal methods, and Czochralski method were used for the synthesis of zinc molybdate. These methods have a series of disadvantages due the fact that salts of the metals and also organic solvents and surfactants are used as starting materials. This requires additional purification of the products, and the processes themselves are fairly time-consuming and energy-intensive. In [10] it was shown that mechanochemistry can be used for the synthesis of new nanosized compounds during treatment of the oxide mixture with ZnO-MoO 3 = 50 : 50. It was found that it is possible to obtain â-ZnMoO 4 by treating the mixture in air and molybdenum suboxide Mo 8 O 23 by treating it in water in fairly short time spans. Sonochemistry may also provide an alternative method of chemical activation. It was shown that the action of ultrasound can not only lead to the activation of solids and increase the rates of reactions but can also change their direction with increase of selectivity. According to data in [13] the effects of ultrasound and mechanochemical treatment on solids are similar. In accordance with this the effect of sonochemical treatment on transformations in the ZnO-MoO 3 system with the initial oxides in various proportions was examined for the first time in the present work, and the physicochemical characteristics of the products were determined. 0040-5760/17/5301-0053 ©2017 Springer Science+Business Media New York 53 ________ 1 Institute for Sorption and Problems of Endoecology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Vul. Naumova, 13, Kyiv 03164, Ukraine. E-mail: zazhigal@ispe.kiev.ua. 2 L’viv Polytechnic National University, Vul. S. Bandery, 12, L’viv 79013, Ukraine. 3 Institute of Geology, Jagiellonian University, Oleandry Str., 2A, Krakow 30-063, Poland. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 53, No. 1, pp. 51-57, January-February, 2017. Original article submitted January 28, 2017; revision submitted February 2, 2017. DOI 10.1007/s11237-017-9501-2