Solvothermal synthesis, characterization and optical properties of ZnO, ZnO-MgO and ZnO-NiO, mixed oxide nanoparticles

ZnO-MgO and ZnO-NiO mixed oxides nanoparticles were produced from a solution containing Zinc acetate, Mg and Ni nitrate by Solvothermal method. The calcination process of the ZnO-MgO and ZnO-NiO composites nanoparticles brought forth polycrystalline two-phase ZnO-MgO and ZnO-NiO nanoparticles of 40-80 nm in diameters. ZnO, MgO and NiO were crystallized into würtzite and rock salt structures, respectively. The optical properties of ZnO-MgO and ZnO-NiO nanoparticles were obtained by solid state UV and solid state florescent. The XRD, SEM and Raman spectroscopies of these nanoparticles were analyzed.     

Synthesis, characterization and antibacterial action of hollow titania spheres

Hollow titania spheres were synthesized using the cationic polystyrene lattices which were prepared by polymerization in suspension of styrene using 2,2′-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AMPA) as an initiator. These cationic colloidal particles were dispersed in absolute ethanol in the presence of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), solution of sodium chloride (NaCl) and mixed with ethanolic solutions of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP). Subsequently, hollow spheres of titania compounds were obtained by calcinations of the so-coated polystyrene lattices at elevated temperature in air. The hollow titania spheres were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FT-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Moreover, antibacterial action of illuminated hollow titania spheres on pure culture of Escherichia coli (E. coli) was studied. A decrease of E. coli concentration was observed after illumination of bacteria in the presence of hollow titania spheres.     

Analysis of lead molybdate and lead tungstate synthesized by a sonochemical method

Lead molybdate and lead tungstate nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a sonochemical method for 1 h. XRD patterns showed the body-centered tetragonal structures of PbMoO₄ and PbWO₄, and were in accordance with those of the simulation and JCPDS software. Calculated lattice parameters are a = b = 5.4233 Å and c = 12.1253 Å for PbMoO₄, and 5.4570 Å and 12.0995 Å for PbWO₄. They are in accordance with those of the corresponding JCPDS software. TEM images show that the particles were 29.09 ± 5.22 nm and 21.05 ± 2.68 nm for PbMoO₄ and PbWO₄, respectively. Raman and FTIR vibrations were investigated to identify a definite existence of the structures.     

Synthesis and characterization of MCM-41 decorated with CuO particles

CuO particles have decorated on the external surface of MCM-41 by in situ introducing cupric nitrate during the hydrothermal synthesis followed by the calcination. The textural and structural properties of CuO/MCM-41 are compared with those of pure MCM-41. The results show that CuO particles are about 40 nm in size and are not agglomerated. The addition of cupric nitrate to the synthesis gel leads to materials with somewhat reduced quality as evidenced from X-ray diffraction patterns and nitrogen adsorption measurements. CuO/MCM-41 is less ordered relative to pure MCM-41 and there are inter-aggregate pores resulting in a higher average pore diameter in the material. The formation of CuO particles on the external surface of MCM-41 and the possible reason for the less ordered structure of CuO/MCM-41 are also discussed in the present paper.     

Controllable synthesis of CuFe2O4 nanostructures through simple hydrothermal method in the presence of thioglycolic acid

In this paper a novel and simple route for the preparation of copper ferrite (CuFe₂O₄) is proposed. The present investigation reports, the novel synthesis of CuFe₂O₄ samples C1, C2, C3 and C4 using hydrothermal method and its physicochemical characterization. In order to elucidate the relationship between the constituent, structure, magnetic and PL properties product's particle size, morphological and structural properties were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) and magnetic properties. The crystallization, surface morphology, magnetic properties and luminescence properties of the samples have been investigated. The relatively high Ms of the samples suggests that this method is suitable for preparing high-quality nanocrystalline copper ferrites for practical applications. Different mechanisms to explain the obtained results and the correlation between magnetism and structure are discussed.     

Fabrication and characterization of Pd/Ag alloy hollow spheres by the solvothermal method

Pd/Ag alloy hollow spheres have been synthesized in ethylene glycol solution by the solvothermal method and have been characterized extensively. TEM results have revealed the formation of Pd/Ag hollow spheres. Moreover, HRTEM results confirmed the formation of Pd/Ag alloy spheres, where the lattice fringe spacing is 0.229 nm corresponding to the (111) plane of Pd/Ag alloy. SEM, XRD and UV–vis results have further suggested the formation of alloy hollow spheres. The preliminary results showed the reaction time may be an importance factor influencing the formation of Pd/Ag alloy hollow spheres.     

Syntheses and characterization of Sr(OH)2 and SrCO3 nanostructures by ultrasonic method

The Sr(OH)₂ and SrCO₃ nanostructures were synthesized by reaction of strontium(II) acetate and sodium hydroxide or tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) via ultrasonic method. Reaction conditions, such as the concentration of the Sr²⁺ ion, aging time, power of the ultrasonic device and alkali salts show important roles in the size, morphology and growth process of the final products. The pure crystalline SrCO₃ were obtained by heating of product at 400 °C. The Sr(OH)₂ and SrCO₃ nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric (TG), differential thermal analyses (DTA) and the infrared spectroscopy (IR).     

Synthesis and characterization of monodisperse copper nanoparticles using gum acacia

A simple method was put forward in this paper for preparing colloidal copper nanoparticles in aqueous solutions using copper sulfate, gum acacia and hydrazine hydrate as copper precursor, capping agents and reducing agents, respectively, without any inert gas. The formation of nanosized copper was confirmed by its characteristic surface plasmon absorption peak at 604 nm in UV–vis spectra. The transmission electron microscopic (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that the as-synthesized copper fine spherical particles are distributed uniformly with a narrow distribution from 3 nm to 9 nm. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) demonstrated that the obtained metallic nanoparticles are single crystalline copper nanoparticles. Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopic data suggested that the copper nanoparticles are coated with gum acacia. The effects of the quantity of gum acacia on the particle size were investigated by the UV–vis spectra and TEM images. The growth process of the nanoparticles was monitored by the UV–vis spectra. The mechanism of the formation copper nanoparticles was discussed. The process raised in this study can be served as an excellent candidate for the preparation of copper nanoparticles in a large scale production.     

Air stable colloidal copper nanoparticles: Synthesis,characterization and their surface-enhanced Raman scattering properties

Air stable colloidal copper nanoparticles are synthesized by a simple chemical reduction method using octadecylsilane as a reducing agent and octadecylamine as a stabilizing agent in toluene without any inert gas. The formation of nanosized copper was confirmed by its characteristic surface plasmon absorption peaks in UV–visible spectra. The transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images show that the resulting copper nanoparticles are distributed uniformly with a narrow size distribution. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated that the obtained copper nanoparticles are single crystalline nanoparticles. Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopic data suggested that the silane Si–H is responsible for the reduction of copper ions. And also the resulting colloidal copper nanoparticles exhibit large surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals.     

Synthesis of photocatalytic active fibrous titania by the solvothermal reactions

Abstract

Fibrous titania was synthesized by the solvothermal reactions of H₁Ti₄O₉ nH₂in different media. H₂Ti₄O₉·nH₂O transformed in steps to H₂Ti₈O₁₇, monoclinic TiO_z, anatase and rutile. The phase transformation temperature and microstructure of the products changed significantly depending on the heating environment. The critical temperature at which anatase appeared in liquid media was much lower than that in air. The titania fibers consisted of nanocrystals of TiO₂. The crystallite size and crystallinity of titania decreased with decreasing the dielectric constant of the reaction medium. Consequently, the photocatalytic activity of titania changed with heat treatment media in the following sequence: ethanol, methanol > water > air, i.e., fibrous titania possessing excellent photocatalytic activity could be obtained by the solvothermal reactions using alcohol such as methanol and ethanol. Titania powders crystallized by the solvothermal reaction in methanol also possessed excellent thermal stability.     

铜铟铝硒硫薄膜的低成本非真空混合法制备

采用溶剂热法制备出铜铟铝硒Cu(In,Al)Se₂ (CIASe)粉末,然后滴涂铜铟铝硒CIASe浆料获得前驱体薄膜,最后通过硒化/硫化过程制备出铜铟铝硒CIASe和铜铟铝硒硫CIASeS薄膜．通过XRD、SEM、XRF及光吸收等表征,发现所制备的薄膜为单相的黄铜矿结构,具有(112)择优取向．同时,在使用硫元素替代硒之后,薄膜的XRD主峰向高的2θ角度漂移,多孔薄膜也变得更加致密．薄膜带隙值也增加到更为合适的范围,从1.21 eV增加到1.33 eV,这也说明了硫化过程有利于提高CIASeS薄膜的质量．     

Synthesis and hydrolysis of octacalcium phosphate and its characterization by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction

Octacalcium phosphate (OCP) powder was produced by precipitating 250 mL Ca(CH₃COO)₂ 0.04 M into 750 L of phosphate solution (5 mmol Na₂HPO₄ and 5 mmol NaH₂PO₄) at a constant temperature of 60 °C and pH 5, which resulted in a dry white powder. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, and the electron diffraction pattern (SAED) all showed only OCP. Hydroxyapatite (HAP) was directly obtained through hydrolysis of the powder. The total transformation of OCP into HAP was registered over a period of 6 h. During the first 30 min of hydrolysis both phases coexisted. The two phases and the OCP-HAP interface were structurally analyzed through XRD and TEM. OCP parameters (calculated by the Rietveld method) are a=19.70, b=9.50, c=6.85 Å; α=90.03°, β=92.48°, γ=108.32° (triclinic P-1) with average crystal size of 13.5±0.2 nm, while HAP parameters were a=9.45, c=6.87 Å (hexagonal P6₃/m) with average crystal size of 16.9±0.2 nm.     

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO thin films by thermal evaporation

ZnO thin films have been successfully synthesized by thermal evaporation of pure zinc at 900 °C under the flow of different percentages of argon and oxygen gases. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (VPSEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and UV–vis spectroscopy. The aim of this paper is to study the influence of the oxygen percentage on the structural and morphological properties of the ZnO films. VPSEM results show that very thick needle structures were produced at high oxygen percentages. EDS results revealed that only Zn and O are present in the sample, indicating a composition of pure ZnO. XRD results showed that the ZnO synthesized under different quantities of oxygen were crystalline with the hexagonal wurtzite structure. UV–vis spectroscopy results indicated that the optical band gap energies from the transmission spectrum are between 3.62 and 3.69 eV for ZnO thin films.     

Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles: Synthesis, structural and electrical properties

Pure and Cu doped ZnO nanopowders (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 at% Cu) have been synthesized using co-precipitation method. Transmission Electron Microscopic analysis has shown the morphology of ZnO nanopowders to be quasi-spherical. Powder X-ray Diffraction studies have revealed the systematic doping of Cu into the ZnO lattice up to 10% Cu, though the peaks corresponding to CuO in 10% Cu are negligibly very small. Beyond this level, there was segregation of a secondary phase corresponding to the formation of CuO. Fourier Transform Infrared spectra have shown a broad absorption band at ∼490 cm⁻¹ for all the samples, which corresponds to the stretching vibration of Zn-O bond. DC electrical resistivity has been found to decrease with increasing Cu content. The activation energy has also been observed to decrease with copper doping i.e. from ∼0.67 eV for pure ZnO to ∼0.41 eV for 30 at% Cu doped ZnO.     

Synthesis and sintering of a monazite-brabantite solid solution ceramic for nuclear waste storage

Various geological arguments suggest that monazite can be an interesting waste-form for actinides such as Np, Pu, Cm and Am. We set up a simple procedure for making dense pellets of monazite-brabantite solid-solution ceramics with composition Ca_0.092Th_0.092Ce_0.089La_0.727PO₄. It consists of co-milling CaCO₃, ThO₂, CeO₂, La₂O₃, and NH₄H₂PO₄, 1250 °C calcination, milling, cold-pressing, and sintering at 1450 °C for 4 h. X-ray investigations showed that the reaction scheme from oxides to monazite is complex and involves various P+La-based intermediate compounds. The final density of the the product is around 95% of the theoretical density. The texture is homogeneous with a typical grain of size 5-20 μm. This process is designed to be adapted to hot cells and telemanipulators.     

Structural characteristics and chemical bonding states with temperature in barium titanate nanopowders prepared by using the solvothermal method

We report the structural characteristics and the chemical bonding states of nano-sized BaTiO₃ powders before and after having been heat treatment. We prepare BaTiO₃ nanopowders by using the solvothermal method at different reaction temperatures. We anneal the prepared powders at 400 and 600 °C, respectively, for 1 h. We examine the structures of the prepared powders by using the Rietveld analysis, and the chemical bonding states of the ions by using a fitting program with an assumption that the measured spectra are Gaussian. Then, we study the morphology of the nanopowders, and measure the ferroelectric properties with frequency and reaction temperature. We show that the BaTiO₃ nanopowders prepared by using the solvothermal method at lower reaction temperature exhibit the tetragonality and are useful for the electronic device applications.     

Synthesis,COSMO-RS analysis and optical properties of surface modified ZnS quantum dots using ionic liquids

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized using the microwave assisted ionic liquid (MAIL) route. Three ionic liquids (ILs), namely, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM]BF₄]), trihexyl(tetradecyl) phosphonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) amide ([P_6,6,6,14][TSFA]) and trihexyl(tetradecyl) phosphonium chloride ([P_6,6,6,14][Cl]) were used in this study. The size and structure of the QDs were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern, respectively. The synthesized QDs were of wurtzite crystalline structure with size less than 5 nm. The QDs were more uniformly distributed while using the phosponium based ILs as a reaction medium during synthesis. The optical properties were investigated by UV–vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy. The optical properties of QDs showed the quantum confinement effect in their absorption and the effect of cation and anion structural moiety was observed on their bandedge emission. The QDs emission intensity was measured higher for [P_6,6,6,14][Cl] due to their better dispersion as well as high charge density of Cl anion. The capability of the ILs in stabilizing the QDs was interpreted by density functional theory (DFT) computations. The obtained results are in good agreement with the theoretical prediction.     

Melting and undercooling of bismuth nanocrystals by solvothermal synthesis

The nanocrystals of bismuth with nanowire and sphere in shape were synthesized by solvothermal process, and it was found that the amount of nanowires would be reduced by the proper choice of the reaction solvents. The crystal structure of the as-prepared nanocrystals was investigated with X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphology of the nanocrystals was observed with the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). Moreover, the melting and solidification processes of the bulk bismuth and as-prepared nanocrystals were comparatively studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). During the solidification process, the nanocrystals showed a larger undercooling, the value of which was about 95 and 31 °C higher than that of the bulk bismuth.