Zn and Mn Acetylacetonato Complexes as Precursors for Hexadecylamine-Capped ZnO and MnO Nanoparticles and their Water Solubility

摘要

The synthesis of zinc and manganese oxide nanoparticles of uniform sizes and their manipulation from hydrophobic to hydrophilic is described. A single-source precursor route was used by using the metal acetylacetonato complexes. The complexes (Zn and Mn acetylacetonato) were thermolyzed in hexadecylamine to produce ZnO and MnO nanoparticles, which were subsequently made soluble by ligand exchange reaction involving pyridine. Pyridine was replaced by glucose and glucuronic acid in that reaction. The absorption and emission spectra showed the typical features of quantum confinement for all the nanoparticles. The change in the capping groups, from hexadecylamine to glucose and glucuronic acid, resulted in the red shifts in the absorption and emission features. The as-synthesized ZnO and MnO nanoparticles were shown to be stable and soluble in water. The morphology, crystalline form and phase composition of ZnO and MnO nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The TEM images revealed spherical shaped ZnO and MnO nanoparticles with the average particle size distribution between 2-8 nm. The broadness of the diffraction peaks indicated the presence of small crystallites.