Evaluation of effect of synthesis parameters on the morphology of nano-structures of magnesium oxide coated with carbon

Abstract

Abstract In this study, the influence of the synthesis parameters on the microstructural properties of nanoparticles of magnesium oxide coated with carbon was investigated. The nanostructures were produced in a one-step synthesis procedure, following a sol-gel method, and the effects of the molar ratio between magnesium nitrate and glucose, the temperature and the dripping time on the morphology of the nanostructures formed were analyzed. The results indicate that an increase in carbon concentration, synthesis temperature around 60 °C and 4 h of dripping time favor the formation of small agglomerates of nanoparticles with greater carbon coating homogeneity. In general, high synthesis temperatures favor the kinetic aspects of crystallization and produce nanostructures with a larger crystallite size. On the other hand, altering the dripping time was not efficient in changing the morphology of the nanostructures obtained. In addition, increasing the carbon concentration favors the formation of structures with small surface area and pore volume.