Theoretical Study of Efficient Photon-Phonon Resonance Absorption in the Tungsten-Related Vibrational Mode of Scheelite.
Yi YinYi-Ning LiSicheng LiuYan JiangXiao-Yan LiuPeng ZhangPublished in: ACS omega (2024)
Tungsten (W) is an extremely rare and vital metal extensively used in metallurgy, the chemical industry, optoelectronic devices, and machinery manufacturing. In this work, an environmentally friendly and efficient physical method based on photon-phonon resonance absorption (PPRA) is proposed for separating W from scheelite. We calculated the vibrational spectrum of calcium tungstate (CaWO 4 ) and assigned the infrared (IR) absorption and Raman scattering peaks through a dynamic analysis of the normal modes. We focused on the strong IR absorption peaks related to W and identified three high-intensity IR-active modes at around 830 cm -1 , corresponding to the stretching of the W-O bonds. Therefore, we propose the use of high-power terahertz (∼25 THz) laser radiation to facilitate W extraction from compounds, leveraging the high efficiency of PPRA. Experimental testing is required to determine the precise absorption frequency under industrial production conditions.