Preparation and characterization of Al_2O_3 Nanoparticles with dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide as surfactant

摘要

Nano-Al_2O_3 has been synthesized by homogeneous precipitation method using dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) as surfactant. The as-prepared powder was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, TEM and SEM. The results indicate the surfactant existence in the precursors but disappeared in the products. This is mainly due to the combination of precursor and surfactant, which results in particles of nanosize. The nucleation and growth rate during the precipitation has also been controlled by the addition of surfactant. During the calcination process, the surfactant has decomposed and volatilized into air. The XRD characterization shows the calcined powders were γ-Al_2O_3 particles with mean size of 27 nm, which was in accordance with TEM characterization. The morphology of the prepared alumina particles has also been investigated by SEM and showed that the powder has a spherical morphology with a uniform particle size.