Structural and luminescence properties of pure and Al-doped ZnO nanopowders

Pure and Al doped zinc oxide nanopowders have been synthesized by sol-gel route. This is a simple and inexpensive method permitting to obtain a very small grain size powders. Zinc acetate dehydrate was first dissolved in a mixture of 2-methoxyethanol and mono-ethanolamine (MEA) solution, were used as a solvent and stabilizer respectively and doped with a quantity of aluminum nitrate, varying from 0 to 10 mol%. The obtained gel is then calcinated in air at 500 °C. The samples are characterized by XRD, SEM and photoluminescence (PL) studies. The XRD results indicate that pure and Al-doped ZnO powders are solid solutions crystallizing in pure würtzite structure, and consisted of a mixture of nanoparticles with grain size between 23 and 36 nm. The grain size decreases strongly with increasing Al concentration and reaches its lowest value at 5 mol% Al. The PL spectra show that the most important establishment is that the powders show luminescence peaks from green to ultraviolet light, and thus can be used to manufacture transmitters using these emissions. The peaks connected to the blue luminescence are the most intense, and they are generated by transitions involving (Zn_i). The SEM images show a formation of pebbles with sizes decreasing with Al concentration and a morphology evaluating, qualitatively, from pebbles without cavities to highly porous ones.     

LaCoO3 nanosystems by a hybrid CVD/sol-gel approach

LaCoO3 nanosystems are receiving increasing attention for the development of innovative fuel cells and heterogeneous catalysts. In this report, we describe the synthesis of nanophasic LaCoO3 thin films by a hybrid chemical vapor deposition (CVD)/sol-gel (SG) approach. The adopted strategy consists in the CVD of La-O-based systems on SG cobalt oxide xerogels CoOx(OH)y at temperatures as low as 200 degrees C and in the subsequent thermal treatment in air (400-800 degrees C, 2-8 h). In this context, particular attention is devoted to achieving an intimate La/Co intermixing already in the as-prepared systems, in order to favor reactions yielding a single La-Co-O phase with uniform composition. The obtained results point out to the formation of pure and structurally homogeneous LaCoO3 nanosystems after annealing at 700 degrees C, 2 h, with a typical grain-like morphology. More severe thermal treatment resulted in the thermal decomposition of LaCoO3 nanocrystallites.     

Structural and gas-sensing properties of WO/sub 3/ nanocrystalline powders obtained by a sol-gel method from tungstic acid

WO/sub 3/ nanocrystalline powders were obtained from tungstic acid following a sol-gel process. Evolution of structural properties with annealing temperature was studied by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. These structural properties were compared with those of WO/sub 3/ nanopowders obtained by the most common process of pyrolysis of ammonium paratungstate, usually used in gas sensors applications. Sol-gel WO/sub 3/ showed a high sensor response to NO/sub 2/ and low response to CO and CH/sub 4/. The response of these sensor devices was compared with that of WO/sub 3/ obtained from pyrolysis, showing the latter a worse sensor response to NO/sub 2/. Influence of operating temperature, humidity, and film thickness on NO/sub 2/ detection was studied in order to improve the sensing conditions to this gas.     

A comparative study on the magnetic properties of Fe-doped CuO nanopowders prepared by sol-gel and co-precipitation method

The Fe-doped CuO nanopowders (Cu_0.95Fe_0.05O) were prepared by the sol-gel and the co-precipitation methods. The effects of synthesis methods on the structure, magnetic property and exchange bias effect of Cu_0.95Fe_0.05O nanopowders were investigated. The microstructure and magnetic properties of the two types of nanopowders were characterized by X-ray diffraction and physics property measuring systems, respectively. It was found that the sol-gel method tended to lead the formation of CuFe₂O₄ phase, which dominated the magnetic behaviors of the sample; the co-precipitation tended to lead larger exchange bias field at low temperature in samples, comparing with sol-gel method.     

A new sol-gel route using inorganic salt for synthesizing Al2O3 nanopowders

Boehmite (γ-AlOOH) powder was first prepared by sol-freeze drying method using inexpensive AlCl₃.6H₂O as raw material, and then γ-Al₂O₃ nanopowder with average diameter of 6 nm and α-Al₂O₃ nanopowder with mean diameter of 30 nm were obtained by the calcination of the above γ-AlOOH powder at 500 °C and 1100 °C, respectively. Potential-pH diagrams of Al-H₂0 system at 25 °C and 90 °C were obtained, separately. Thermodynamic analysis of the main reactions in the process of thermal decomposition of Al(OH)₃ was also made using Temkin-Schwarzman's method and by means of regression analysis. Investigations of the potential-pH diagrams of Al-HO system and the thermodynamic analysis of thermal decomposition of Al(OH)₃ provide a guide to the formation of boehmite sol and heat treatment of boehmite powder, respectively.     

La1-xSrxFeO3纳米微粉的微结构与磁性

为了研究La1-x Srx FeO3纳米微粉的成分及颗粒尺寸对其微结构及磁学性能的影响,采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了不同颗粒尺寸、不同Sr含量的钙钛矿型La1-x Srx FeO3(x=0～0.3)纳米微粉,采用X射线衍射和振动样品磁强计对其结构与磁性进行了分析.分析表明,所制样品均具有正交钙钛矿结构;对于颗粒尺寸相近、Sr含量不同的样品,随Sr含量增加,晶格收缩;在具有不同颗粒尺寸的La1-xSrx FeO3(x=0.3)纳米微粉中,随着颗粒尺寸的减小,晶格膨胀;La1-x Srx FeO3(x=0～0.3)纳米微粒具有弱铁磁性,Sr含量的增加导致自发磁化强度下降,且随着颗粒尺寸的减小,La1-x Srx FeO3(x=0.3)纳米微粉的自发磁化强度增大;由Sr的替代以及颗粒尺寸减小引起的结构变化导致磁性的变化.     

Structural and magnetic properties of cobalt ferrites synthesized using sol-gel techniques

Cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) was synthesized using sol-gel techniques from cobalt nitrate: iron nitrate: polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel in a ratio of 1:2:12. Variations in the amount of PVA in water (5 %, 10 % and 15 %) influenced the crystallite size and phases of the ferrite products, which in turn controlled their magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction studies indicated single phase CoFe₂O₄ with larger crystallite size and with the hysteresis loops displaying an increase in both coercive field and squareness as the PVA content was increased. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that desorption of water and combustion of excess gel were clearly observed in CoFe₂O₄ prepared from 10 % and 15 % PVA in water. In the case of 5 % PVA in water, two other ratios of cobalt nitrate: iron nitrate: PVA solution were also tested and it was found that the 1:2:10 ratio led to the smallest coercive field and squareness.     

Structural,optical and magnetic properties of the Fe2TiO5 nanopowders

Iron titanate nanopowders with a particle size range of 48–70?nm could be obtained after calcinations of the dried gel at 900°C for 2?h. Fe₂TiO₅ indicates a ferrimagnetic–paramagnetic behaviour, as evidenced by using vibrating sample magnetometer at room temperature. In the temperature range of 25–300°C the empirical equation of the heat capacity C _p (J/mol?K)?=??692.328?+?1.39?T?+?3.757?×?10⁷/T ² for Fe₂TiO₅ was determined from differential scanning calorimetry. Direct optical band gap of Fe₂TiO₅ was calculated using the Tauc model by UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Band gap energy of Fe₂TiO₅ was determined as 1.95?eV.     

Magnetic properties of oxide nanopowders obtained by pulsed electron beam evaporation

The magnetic properties of oxide nanopowders obtained by pulsed electron beam evaporation of targets in a low-pressure gas phase have been studied. Using this method, we obtained Zn-ZnO and ZnO nanopowders with the specific magnetization amounting to 2.8 × 10⁻² and 2 G cm³/g, respectively. Significant room-temperature ferromagnetism has been observed for the fist time in a nanopowder of yttria-stabilized zirconia, where the specific magnetization reached ∼6.7 × 10⁻² G cm³/g.     

Properties of Gd2O3:Eu, Tb nanopowders obtained by sol-gel process

A significant practical application for nanostructured materials is X-ray medical imagery, because it is necessary to use dense materials in order to enable absorption of high energy photons. An important requirement of these materials is UV-vis range emission produced by X-ray excitation, which can be influenced by the particle size. Europium doped gadolinium oxide is a well known red phosphor. Moreover, nanophosphors of Gd₂O₃ codoped with Tb³⁺, Eu³⁺ increase their light yield by energy transfer between Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺. In this study, Gd₂O₃ nanopowders codoped with Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ (2.5 at.% Eu³⁺, and 0.005 and 0.01 at.% Tb³⁺) were obtained via a sol-gel process using gadolinium pentanedionate as precursor and europium and terbium nitrates as doping sources. In this paper, we report the influence of annealing temperature on the structure, morphology and luminescent properties of Gd₂O₃:Eu³⁺, Tb³⁺ by means of TGA, XRD, TEM and X-ray emission measurements.     

Influence of Al doping in LaCoO3 on structural,electrical and magnetic properties

We report investigations on polycrystalline LaCo_1?x Al _x O₃ (x = 0–0.9) bulk samples. The solid state synthesized samples showed a coexistence of rhombohedral and monoclinic phases in the intermediate concentrations (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) and pure rhombohedral phase otherwise. The observed effect of Al doping on dc transport has been analysed on the basis of small polaron hopping mechanism. The magnetisation results presented give evidence of weak ferromagnetism and anomalous temperature dependence of coercivity which we associate to the canting of the localised high-spin Co(III) and anti-symmetric exchange interactions at low temperatures.     

Effect of different solvents in the synthesis of LaCoO3 nanopowders prepared by the co-precipitation method

This paper describes the obtention of LaCoO₃ nanopowders by the co-precipitate method with ammonium hydroxide from solvent such as water, ethyl alcohol and ethylene glycol. The crystalline structure and average particle size are dependent of type-solvent. The XRD patterns indicated that the LaCoO₃ nanopowders prepared with water and ethyl alcohol exhibit a pure perovskite-type LaCoO₃ in the rhombohedra structure. The average diameter of the particles prepared with ethyl alcohol and water are 27 ± 4.49 nm and 64.4 ± 12.92 nm respectively. High resolution transmission electron microcopy revealed an oriented attachment mechanism for the growth of aggregated LaCoO₃ nanocrystals. Room temperature magnetization results of the heat treated LaCoO₃ nanopowders exhibited a paramagnetic behavior. The average particle size and formation temperature of LaCoO₃ obtained in this study is comparatively lower than those reported in the literature.     

Coating of LaCoO3 thin film with sol-gel dip coating method

LaCoO3 thin film was coated on Al2O3 single crystal by sol-gel route. Appropriate composition of precursors, chelating agents and the solvent put together into a flask and magnetically stirred on a magnetic stirrer. After having the red transparent solution, it was stirred for 12 hours before coating. Ultrasonically cleaned substrate is dipped into the solution and taken immediately into vertical furnace which is preheated at 550 degrees C. A dense amorphous film is coated on the substrate. Fired amorphous films are annealed at temperature between 900 degrees C and 1000 degrees C for 20 minutes in the air. Then coated film was characterized by means of XRD, AFM, and SEM. Conductivity of the film was measured to be -0.1819 for 881 degrees C for the log sigma value by assuming the thickness as     

Synthesis of hydroxyapatite nanopowders by sol-gel emulsion technique

Hydroxyapatite nanopowders were synthesized by a sol-gel emulsion technique by varying the concentration of a non-ionic surfactant in the organic phases (oil phase) of water-in-oil (w/o) emulsion. Calcium acetate dissolved in distilled water and phosphorous pentoxide dissolved in 2-butanol were used as starting precursors. The prepared sol was emulsified in a support solvent (cyclohexane) containing 2, 4 and 5 volume% of surfactant (Span 80), followed by the addition of triethylamine, for gelation. The gel powders thus obtained were calcined at different temperatures up to 750??C. Characterization was done using XRD, SEM and TEM. Pellets were made from the developed HAP powders and tested for its biocompatibility after their immersion in the simulated body fluid.     

溶胶-凝胶法制备纳米复合永磁材料及其磁性

用溶胶-凝胶方法制备了一种新型纳米复合永磁材料.XRD及SEM表明,由于这种材料的软磁相与硬磁相具有30nm左右尺寸而发生强烈的交换耦合作用,导致该种新材料具有优异的磁性能.     

Preparation of Ca-doped LaFeO3 nanopowders in a reverse microemulsion and their visible light photocatalytic activity

Nanoparticles of lanthanum ferrite (LaFeO₃) and calcium-doped LaFeO₃ (La_1−xCa_xFeO₃, x = 0.05-0.20) with perovskite-type structure have been prepared in a reverse microemulsion. Perovskite powder could be obtained at 500 °C for 3 h. The prepared powders were characterized by thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The visible-light photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts was tested with methylene blue as an objective decomposition substance using fluorescence light as a visible light resource. The results showed that partial substitution of La³⁺ in LaFeO₃ with Ca²⁺ could decrease the crystalline size, enhance visible light absorption and improve visible light photocatalytic activity.     

Photoluminescence properties of sesquioxide doped ceria synthesized by modified sol-gel route

Highly crystalline and porous sesquioxide (Sm₂O₃, La₂O₃) doped ceria with different molar ratio is successfully synthesized by a simple modified sol-gel route. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) are used to investigate their phase, microstructure and composition. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of highly crystalline cubic fluorite phase in all samples. The Raman spectroscopy revealed a single triple degenerated F_2g mode as the attestation of the oxygen vacancy in the doped and undoped samples. Strong photoluminescence lines due to interconfigurational transition and vacancy mediated transition were observed in doped CeO₂. The oxygen vacancy induced luminescence of CeO₂ was strongly enhanced due to La doping. The effect of rare earth dopant on the photoluminescence properties has been studied in details.     

Optical-luminescence properties of ZnO and TiO2 nanopowders obtained by pulsed laser reactive ablation

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - The ZnO and TiO2 nanopowders have been prepared by means of the pulsed laser reactive ablation of metallic (Zn, Ti) targets. The Structural,...