Characterization of h-WO3 nanorods synthesized by hydrothermal process

Hexagonal tungsten oxide nanorods have been synthesized by hydrothermal strategy using Na₂WO₄·2H₂O as tungsten source, aniline and sulfate sodium as structure-directing templates. Techniques X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy have been used to characterize the structure, morphology and composition of the nanorods. The h-WO₃ nanorods are up to 5 μm in length, and 50–70 nm in diameter.     

Direct large-scale synthesis of perovskite barium strontium titanate nano-particles from solutions

This paper reports a wet chemical synthesis technique for large-scale fabrication of perovskite barium strontium titanate nano-particles near room temperature and under ambient pressure. The process employs titanium alkoxide and alkali earth hydroxides as starting materials and involves very simple operation steps. Particle size and crystallinity of the particles are controllable by changing the processing parameters. Observations by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy TEM indicate that the particles are well-crystallized, chemically stoichiometric and ∼50 nm in diameter. The nanoparticles can be sintered into ceramics at 1150 °C and show typical ferroelectric hysteresis loops.     

Rapid breakdown anodization technique for the synthesis of high aspect ratio and high surface area anatase TiO2 nanotube powders

Clusters of high aspect ratio, high surface area anatase-TiO₂ nanotubes with a typical nanotube outer diameter of about 18 nm, wall thickness of approximately 5 nm and length of 5-10 μm were synthesized, in powder form, by breakdown anodization of Ti foils in 0.1 M perchloric acid, at 10 V (299 K) and 20 V (∼275 and 299 K). The surface area, morphology, structure and band gap were determined from Brunauer Emmet Teller method, field emmission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman, photoluminescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopic studies. The tubular morphology and anatase phase were found to be stable up to 773 K and above 773 K anatase phase gradually transformed to rutile phase with disintegration of tubular morphology. At 973 K, complete transformation to rutile phase and disintegration of tubular morphology were observed. The band gap of the as prepared and the annealed samples varied from 3.07 to 2.95 eV with increase in annealing temperature as inferred from photoluminescence and diffuse reflectance studies.     

Controlled morphology synthesis of β-FeOOH and the phase transition to Fe2O3

The hexagram and arrayed β-FeOOH nanorods were first synthesized free of surfactants through the solvent-thermal method. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDAX) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the as-prepared products. The TEM and FESEM images showed that hexagram β-FeOOH and arrayed rod-like β-FeOOH with an average diameter of 10-15 nm and an average length of 100 nm (aspect ratio is about 10) were prepared. Electrochemical tests show that these nanorods deliver a large discharge capacity of 277 mA h g⁻¹ versus Li metal at 0.1 mA cm⁻² (voltage at 1.5-4.2 V). Treated the as-synthesized rod-like β-FeOOH by annealing, rhombus hematite was obtained.     

Mercury selenide nanorods: Synthesis and characterization via a simple hydrothermal method

HgSe nanorods have been synthesized through a simple hydrothermal reduction approach. The nanorods formed were ≈45 nm average diameter and ≈3 μm nm in length. X-ray diffraction characterization suggested that the product consists of cubic phase pure HgSe. The as-prepared products were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). An X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) study further confirmed the composition and purity of the product. The synthesis procedure is simple and uses less toxic reagents than the previously reported methods. The results showed that the capping agent CTAB (cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide) plays a crucial role in the process. Other factors, such as the reaction time, temperature, different capping agent and the reductant type also have an influence on the morphology of the final products to some extent.     

Room temperature ferromagnetism in undoped and Fe doped ZnO nanorods: Microwave-assisted synthesis

One-dimensional (1D) undoped and Fe doped ZnO nanorods of average length ∼1 μm and diameter ∼50 nm have been obtained using a microwave-assisted synthesis. The magnetization (M) and coercivity (H_c) value obtained for undoped ZnO nanorods at room temperature is ∼5×10⁻³ emu/g and ∼150 Oe, respectively. The Fe doped ZnO samples show significant changes in M -H loop with increasing doping concentration. Both undoped and Fe doped ZnO nanorods exhibit a Curie transition temperature (T_c) above 390 K. Electron spin resonance and Mössbauer spectra indicate the presence of ferric ions. The origin of ferromagnetism in undoped ZnO nanorods is attributed to localized electron spin moments resulting from surface defects/vacancies, where as in Fe doped samples is explained by F center exchange mechanism.     

Large aspect ratio titanate nanowire prepared by monodispersed titania submicron sphere via simple wet-chemical reactions

A facile one-step hydrothermal reaction among monodispersed titania submicron spheres and KOH solution was found to result in potassium titanate nanowires with a large aspect ratio. The diameter of these nanowires falls in the range of 50-200 nm and the length ranges from several micrometers to several tens of micrometers. It is found that the reaction temperature, duration, titanium source and the size distribution of titania raw powders have a great impact on the resultant morphology. Monodispersed TiO₂ submicron sphere is beneficail for the formation and growth of large-area lamellar potassium titanate and consequently it is in favor of the production of nanowires with a large aspect ratio. The nanowires were analyzed by a range of methods including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) and UV/Vis spectrophotometer. UV-absorption study showed that these nanowires are wide-band semiconductors with a band gap 3.4 eV. A formation mechanism is proposed on the basis of the dissolving, growth, thickening and splitting of K₂Ti₆O₁₃ nanointermediates.     

Low-temperature synthesis and growth mechanism of uniform nanorods of bismuth sulfide

A low-temperature solution-phase method has been demonstrated for the synthesis of uniform nanorods of Bi₂S₃ with diameter of 18 nm and length of below 200 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies revealed that these nanorods were grown from a colloidal dispersion of amorphous Bi₂S₃ particles, which was first formed through a thermal reaction between Bi-thiol complexes Bi(SC₁₂)₃ and thioacetamide (TAA) in a pure dodecanethiol (C₁₂SH) solvent at a temperature of 95 °C. Based on these studies, the growth mechanism of Bi₂S₃ nanorods was properly proposed.     

Synthesis and characterization of MgF2 and KMgF3 nanorods

MgF₂ nanorods with diameters of 60-100 nm were synthesized by a microemulsion method. Subsequent hydrothermal reaction of as-synthesized MgF₂ nanorods and KF at 240°C for 3 days or 140°C for 7 days resulted in KMgF₃ nanorods, which retained the rod-like morphology of the source material MgF₂ in the reaction process. The morphology of as-synthesized MgF₂ strongly depended on the molar ratio between water and the surfactant CTAB and the concentration of CTAB.     

Fabrication and characterization of hexagonal boron nitride powder by spray drying and calcining-nitriding technology

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) powder was fabricated prepared by the spray drying and calcining-nitriding technology. The effects of nitrided temperature on the phases, morphology and particle size distribution of hBN powder, were investigated. The synthesized powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectrum, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrum and photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. UV-vis spectrum revealed that the product had one obvious band gap (4.7 eV) and PL spectrum showed that it had a visible emission at 457 nm (λ_ex=230 nm). FESEM image indicated that the particle size of the synthesized hBN was mainly in the range of 0.5-1.5 μm in diameter, and 50-150 nm in thickness. The high-energy ball-milling process following 900 °C calcining process was very helpful to obtain fully crystallized hBN at lower temperature.     

Synthesis and evolution of PbS nanocrystals through a surfactant-assisted solvothermal route

We present a surfactant-assisted solvothermal approach for the controllable synthesis of a PbS nanocrystal at low temperature (85 degrees C). Nanotubes (400 nm in length with an outer diameter of 30 nm), bundle-like long nanorods (about 5-15 mum long and an average diameter of 100 nm), nanowires (5-20 mum in length and with a diameter of 20-50 nm), short nanorods (100-300 nm in length and an axial ratio of 5-10), nanoparticles (25 nm in width with an aspect ratio of 2), and nanocubes (a short axis length of 10 nm and a long axis length of 15 nm) were successfully prepared and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction pattern. A series of experimental results indicated that several experimental factors, such as AOT concentration, ratio of [water]/[surfactant], reaction time, and ratio of the reagents, play key roles in the final morphologies of PbS. Possible formation mechanisms of PbS nanorods and nanotubes were proposed.     

Thermo-Raman spectroscopy in situ monitoring study of solid-state synthesis of NiO-Al2O3 nanoparticles and its characterization

Hyphenation of thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and thermo-Raman spectrophotometer for in situ monitoring of solid-state reaction in oxygen atmosphere forming NiO-Al₂O₃ catalyst nanoparticles is investigated. In situ thermo-Raman spectra in the range from 200 to 1400 cm⁻¹ were recorded at every degree interval from 25 to 800 °C. Thermo-Raman spectroscopic studies reveal that, although the onset of formation is around 600 °C, the bulk NiAl₂O₄ forms at temperatures above 800 °C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the reaction mixtures were recorded at regular temperature intervals of 100 °C, in the temperature range from 400 to 1000 °C, which could provide information on structural and morphological evolution of NiO-Al₂O₃. Slow controlled heating of the sample enabled better control over morphology and particle size distribution (∼20-30 nm diameter). The observed results were supported by complementary characterizations using TGA, XRD, SEM, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis.     

Synthesis and characterization of silver nanowires with zigzag morphology in N,N-dimethylformamide

Zigzag silver nanowires with a uniform diameter of 20±5 nm were prepared by reducing silver nitrate (AgNO₃) with N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) in the presence of tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) and acetylacetone (AcAc) at 373 K for 18 h. X-ray and selected area electron diffraction (XRD and SAED) patterns reveal that the prepared product is made of pure silver with face centered cubic structure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations suggest that the amount of silver nanowires is enhanced with increase in reaction time, and the end-to-end assemblies of silver nanorods are observed during the reaction process. After 18 h reaction, silver nanowires with zigzag morphology are obtained. In this paper, a possible growth process of silver nanowires with this interesting shape is described. Silver nanoparticles with small sizes were obtained by reducing Ag⁺ ions with DMF, providing seeds for homogeneous growth of silver nanorods. With the extending reaction time, the synthesized silver nanorods were connected in an end-to-end manner, and the interface between the connections of two nanorods gradually disappeared. The final product shows zigzag morphology with various angles. The angles between two connecting straight parts of zigzag nanowires exhibit an alterable range of 74-151°. These silver nanowires show tremendous potential applications in future nanoscale electronic circuits.     

A simple method of fabricating large-area α-MnO2 nanowires and nanorods

α-MnO₂ nanowires or nanorods have been selectively synthesized via the hydrothermal method in nitric acid condition. The α-MnO₂ nanowires hold with average diameter of 50 nm and lengths ranging between 10 and 40 μm, using MnSO₄·H₂O as manganese source; meanwhile, α-MnO₂ bifurcate nanorods with average diameter of 100 nm were obtained by adopting MnCO₃ as starting material. The morphology of α-MnO₂ bifurcate nanorods is the first one to be reported in this paper. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to characterize the products. Experimental results indicate that the concentrated nitric acid plays a crucial role in the phase purity and morphologies of the products. The possible formation mechanism of α-MnO₂ nanowires and nanorods has been discussed.     

Characterization of particles made by desolvation of monodisperse microdroplets of analyte solutions and particle suspensions for nanoparticle calibration in inductively coupled plasma spectrometry

Particles produced by low-temperature desolvation of monodisperse microdroplets of analyte standard solution and nanoparticle suspensions in argon were collected on Si-wafers and studied applying scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microprobe techniques. At desolvation temperatures of about 150 °C, the particles from standard solutions are most often spherical and solid with good reproducibility and the analyte elements together with the unavoidable accompanying elements from trace contamination seem to be homogeneously distributed in the particles. However, there are surprising exceptions, particularly at higher temperatures, where analyte elements are separated in the particle by reduction or crystallization, as shown with Au and Ca standard solutions, respectively. Drying droplets of a diluted suspension of 250 nm gold particles at 200 °C revealed another interesting result, the production of relatively stable concave balloons of ∼ 3 µm in diameter including the Au particles. The balloon sheath was formed of compounds made of the contaminant elements in the suspension. The morphology of the particles is discussed in consideration of the Peclet number, the ratio of evaporation rate to analyte diffusion coefficient. The consequences of particle size and morphology for calibration purposes in nanoparticle characterization by ICP spectrometry are discussed.     

Formation of α-Mn2O3 nanorods via a hydrothermal-assisted cleavage-decomposition mechanism

A hydrothermal cleavage-decomposition mechanism was used to synthesize single-crystal α-Mn₂O₃ nanorods at 160 °C for 16 h using KMnO₄ as manganese source and CTAB as reducing regent. The as-synthesized products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and infrared spectrum. The results indicate that the reaction temperature is a crucial factor for the formation of α-Mn₂O₃ nanorods. These nanorods exhibit single-crystal nature, and have an average diameter of 36 nm and lengths of up to 1 μm. Based on our experimental results, a hydrothermal cleavage-decomposition mechanism has been proposed on the formation of α-Mn₂O₃ nanorods.     

A simple route to nanocrystalline silicon carbide

Nanocrystalline silicon carbide has been prepared via reacting magnesium silicide (Mg₂Si) with carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) in an autoclave at 450-600°C. X-ray diffraction patterns of the products can be indexed as the cubic cell of SiC with the lattice constant, a=4.352 Å, in good agreement with a=4.349 Å (JCPDS card No. 75-0254). The transmission electron microscopy images show that the sample mainly consists of nanoparticles with an average size from 30 to 80 nm co-existing with a small fraction of nanorods and nanowires. Typically the nanorods range from 20 to 40 nm in diameter and the nanowires have diameters of 20 nm and lengths up to 10 μm. The Raman spectrum shows a characteristic sharp peak at 790 cm⁻¹. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) gives an atomic ratio of Si to C as 1.08:1.00 from the quantification of the peak intensities. Photoluminescence spectrum reveals that the SiC sample emits ultraviolet light of 328 nm. A possible mechanism and the influence of temperature on the formation of crystalline SiC are proposed.     

Phase-controlled synthesis and characterization of nickel sulfides nanorods

Different one-dimensional nickel sulfides, NiS nanorods and Ni₉S₈ nanorods were synthesized in the presence (Route 1) and absence (Route 2) of gas CO₂. X-ray powder diffraction patterns, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images show that the product from Route 1 is NiS nanorods with a diameter of about 50-120 nm, while the product from Route 2 is Ni₉S₈ nanords about 70-200 nm in diameter. A molecular-template-like mechanism was proposed for the one-dimensional structures growth. The products were also investigated by Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of WO3·1/3H2O nanorods and study of their electrical properties

Crystalline tungsten oxide hydrate (WO₃·1/3H₂O) nanorods have been prepared by a hydrothermal process using Na₂WO₄·2H₂O and 4-phenylbutylamine as a structure-directing agent. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and thermal analysis techniques have been used to characterize the structure, morphology and composition of the nanorods. The WO₃·1/3H₂O nanorods are up to several hundred nanometers in length, and the widths and thicknesses are 40 and 8 nm, respectively. A study of the electric properties in the temperature range 170–730 °C and frequency range 5–13 MHz is reported. The obtained results show that the activation energies are about 0.07, 0.63 and 2.46 eV for o-WO₃·1/3H₂O, h-WO₃ and m-WO₃, respectively. The as-synthesized materials are promising for chemical and energy-related applications such as catalysts and electrochemical devices, and may be applied in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.     

Facile solvent-free synthesis of pure-phased AlN nanowhiskers at a low temperature

Pure hexagonal aluminum nitride (AlN) nanowhiskers have been successfully synthesized by directly reacting AlCl₃ with NaN₃ in non-solvent system at the low temperature of 450 °C for 24 h. The obtained products are characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction, which show that the obtained products are hexagonal phase AlN nanowhiskers with width from 10 to 80 nm and length up to several micrometers. The influencing factors of the formation of AlN nanowhiskers were discussed and a possible growth mechanism for AlN nanowhiskers was proposed. Additionally, the study on the corresponding optical properties and catalytic properties is also carried out.