Uniform, spherical-shaped TiO2:Eu nanoparticles with different doping concentrations have been synthesized through controlled hydrolysis of titanium tetrabutoxide under appropriate pH and temperature in the presence of EuCl3·6H2O. Through air annealing at 500°C for 2 h, the amorphous, as-grown nanoparticles could be converted to a pure anatase phase. The morphology, structural, and optical properties of the annealed nanostructures were studied using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy [EDS], and UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques. Optoelectronic behaviors of the nanostructures were studied using micro-Raman and photoluminescence [PL] spectroscopies at room temperature. EDS results confirmed a systematic increase of Eu content in the as-prepared samples with the increase of nominal europium content in the reaction solution. With the increasing dopant concentration, crystallinity and crystallite size of the titania particles decreased gradually. Incorporation of europium in the titania particles induced a structural deformation and a blueshift of their absorption edge. While the room-temperature PL emission of the as-grown samples is dominated by the 5D0 - 7Fj transition of Eu+3 ions, the emission intensity reduced drastically after thermal annealing due to outwards segregation of dopant ions.
Obtaining spherical-shaped semiconductor nanoparticles of uniform size is essential for the fabrication of photonic crystals. We report the synthesis of nanometer-size spherical titania particles with narrow size distribution from glycolated precursors. Through controlled hydrolysis of glycolated precursors, particles of 683 to 50 nm average diameters, with narrow size distribution, could be produced for the first time. Effects of air annealing on the morphology, size shrinkage, and phase transition of the nanoparticles are studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and high-resolution electron microscopy techniques. Probable mechanisms for formation of titania nanoparticles and their size control are discussed.
CuS nanoparticles (NPs) of few nanometers in size were prepared by a wet chemical method. The structural, compositional, and optical properties of the NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, micro Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The XRD pattern proved the presence of hexagonal phase of CuS particles which was further supported by Raman spectrum. The estimated band gap energy of 2.05 eV for the slightly sulfur-rich CuS NPs is relatively larger than that of bulk CuS (1.85 eV), indicating the small size effect. As-prepared NPs showed excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light. The surface-bound OH -ions at the CuS nanostructures help adsorb MB molecules facilitating their degradation process under visible light illumination. The studies presented in this paper suggest that the synthesized CuS NPs are promising, efficient, stable, and visible-light-sensitive photocatalyst for the remediation of wastewater polluted by chemically stable azo dyes such as MB.
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