Synthesis, luminescence and photocatalyst properties of zirconia nanosheets by modified Pechini method

Pure tetragonal zirconia nanosheets and semi-spherical nanoparticles were successfully prepared by modified Pechini method. In this approach, ZrOCI2. 6H(2)O, triethanolamine (TEA) and citric acid (CA) were used as the source of Zr4+, the chelating and polymerization agent, respectively. The effects of heat treatment and TEA:CA:ZI(4+)mole ratios on the structure, morphology and zirconia particle size were investigated. The microstructure of the products was characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis. The zirconia nanosheets exhibit photoluminescence at room temperature with a broad emission in the blue region of the visible spectrum. Finally, the effect of calcination temperature on the photocatalyst properties of nanosheets was investigated. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.