Effective modification of MgO with surface transition metal oxides for NF_3 decomposition

NF3 decomposition over transition metal oxides coated MgO reagents in the absence of water is investigated. The results show that NF3 can be decomposed completely over pure MgO but the time of NF3 steady full conversion kept as short as 80 min, while the reactivities of coated MgO reagents were remarkably enhanced by transition metal oxides, for example the time of NF3 complete conversion over 12%Fe/MgO extended to 380 min. It is suggested that not only an increase in surface area but also a significant enhancement in the fluorination of MgO substrate caused by the surface transition metal oxides result in an improved reactivity of coated MgO reagents for NF3 decomposition.