Facile Carbothermal Reduction Synthesis of ZrB2 Nanoparticles: The Effect of Starting Precursors

摘要

Zirconium diboride (ZrB2) ceramic nanoparticles were synthesized by using zirconium (IV) complexes as new precursors. The citrate sol-gel process, which included the mixing of ions at the atomic scale, affected hydrolysis reactions and finally led to the formation of the pure phase of the sample. Results showed that the different sizes of ZrB2 nanocrystals were produced by adjusting four potential chelating agents of bi- and tetra-dentate (N2O2 donor set) ligands by the sol-gel process during carbothermal reduction. The samples were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results obtained from microscopic observations indicated that pure and homogeneous ZrB2 nanostructures have been formed by using 2-hydroxyacetophenone (hap).