A facile thermal-treatment route to synthesize the semiconductor CdO nanoparticles and effect of calcination

• Published in: Materials science in semiconductor processing Vol. 26; pp. 460 - 466
• Main Authors: Al-Hada, Naif Mohammed, Saion, Elias B., Shaari, Abdul Halim, Kamarudin, Mazliana A., Flaifel, Moayad Husein, Ahmad, Sahrim Hj, Gene, Adamu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Cadmium; Cadmium oxide; Calcination; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Dissolution; Exact sciences and technology; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Materials science; Metal oxides; Nanoparticles; Nanopowders; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Optical properties; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of low-dimensional, mesoscopic, and nanoscale materials and structures; Physics; Scanning probe microscopes, components and techniques; Semiconductors; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; Structure of specific crystalline solids; Thermal treatment method; Transmission electron microscopy; Nanoparticles; Thermal treatment method; Cadmium oxide; Optical properties; Water; Cadmium; Scanning electron microscopy; Powders; Semiconductor materials; Thermal method; Calcination; XRD; Metal particle; Heat treatments; Energy gap; Ultraviolet radiation; Transmission electron microscopy; Spectrophotometers; Optical characteristic; Fourier-transformed infrared spectrometry; Organic compounds; Crystal structure
• ISSN: 1369-8001; 1873-4081
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mssp.2014.05.032

In this research, a thermal treatment method was used to synthesize cadmium oxide nanoparticles. The metal precursor, cadmium nitrate and a capping agent were dissolved in deionized water, which later was dried and crushed into powder. The powder underwent calcination treatment of 500, 550, 600, and 650°C to crystallize the nanoparticles and to remove organic compounds. The structural studies of CdO nanoparticles have been carried out using EDAX, FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM. The FTIR and XRD spectra showed that the crystalline structure formation of metal oxide nanoparticles has only occurred after been exposed to calcination. The optical properties which were determined using a UV–vis spectrophotometer showed a decrease in the band gap with increasing calcination temperature. These results prove that the thermal treatment method is a simple technique that can produce pure metal oxide nanoparticles with no other chemicals added.