Synthesis of crystalline MgO nanoparticle with mesoporous-assembled structure via a surfactant-modified sol-gel process

Highly crystalline MgO nanoparticles with the mesoporous-assembled structure were synthesized via a modified sol-gel process with the aid of a structure-directing surfactant under mild conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) analyses revealed that the synthesized MgO possessed high crystallinity with the particle size in nanosized range. N-2 adsorption-desorption and pore size distribution analyses indicated that its pore size distribution was in a narrow mesoporous range, which originated from an assembly of the MgO nanoparticles. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.