Preparation of nanocrystalline metal oxide powders with the surfactant-mediated method

摘要

Nanocrystalline metal oxides (ZnO, NiO, and SnO_2) powders with an average particle diameter of 18-55 nm have been successfully prepared with the surfactant-method. The cationic surfactant (ctyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) and the hydrous metal chlorides (ZnCl_2 (centre dot) 2H_2O, NiCl_2 (centre dot) 6H_2O, and SnCl_4 (centre dot) 5H_2O) appear to be the good candidates for obtaining a high yield of nanoparticles. The resultant products have been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The resulting powders are highly crystalline and largely monodisperse oxide particles. The surfactant-mediated method turned out to be suited for the preparation of the nanocrystalline oxide powders. Through this method, it is possible to obtain nanocrystalline metal oxide powders.