Synthesis and Room Temperature Photoluminescence of Mesoporous Zirconia with a Tetragonal Nanocrystalline Framework

Abstract

Mesoporous ZrO2 with a tetragonal (t) nanocrystalline framework was synthesized using zirconium propoxide as the zirconium precursor and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as pore‐directing agent and subsequent calcination of the inorganic/organic intermediate. The Raman spectrum showed six distinct peaks at 146, 268, 325, 480, 615, and 645 cm−1, which further confirm t‐structure of the mesoporous ZrO2. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis reveals that mesoporous ZrO2 prepared at 500°C is template free. The mesoporous t‐ZrO2 possesses narrowly distributed pore size (2–11 nm) with average pore diameter of 5 nm and surface area of 65 m2/g. A photoluminescence band centered at 419 nm under excitation at 285 nm wavelength at room temperature is attributed to the ionized oxygen vacancy in t‐ZrO2 in the mesoporous structure. The combined effects of grain/pore size, oxygen vacancies and mesoporous wall strain–energy play important role in stabilizing the t‐nanocrystalline framework of mesoporous ZrO2. In comparison with the mesoporous ZrO2 materials stabilized by chemical treatment, the present route is simpler and resulted in mesoporous ZrO2 with crystalline framework.

Oxygen vacancy induced photoluminescence properties and enhanced photocatalytic activity of ferromagnetic ZrO2 nanostructures on methylene blue dye under ultra-violet radiation

“…PL spectra depend strongly on the particle size, defects and impurities present in the materials. The PL properties of ZrO 2 nanostructures have been studied extensively by the scientific community [21][22][23], however, the role of particle size along with the crystal phases of ZrO 2 nanostructures is not addressed yet systematically. Harrison et al [24] had reported that the luminescent centers constituted by Zr 4+ ions in an asymmetric site surrounded by the oxygen ions are mainly responsible for emission peak.…”

Design of hierarchically meso–macroporous tetragonal ZrO2 thin films with tunable thickness by spin-coating via sol–gel template route

“…In the past decade, multiple applications of zirconia (ZrO 2 ), that including solid-oxide fuel cells [1][2][3], oxygen sensors [1][2][3], catalysts [1][2][3][4] and supports for catalysts [5,6], have received a keen interest. High hardness [5], high melting-point, excellent chemical inertness [7], low thermal conductivity, ionic conductivity [5], high corrosion resistance, high dielectric constant (j) value [8][9][10] and amphoteric behavior [11] are among the properties, which recommend it as a functional metal oxide.…”

Versatility of one-pot, single-step synthetic approach for spherical porous (metal) oxide nanoparticles using supercritical alcohols

“…Among them, metal oxide nanoparticles, such as silica (SiO 2 ) [11][12][13], titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) [14][15][16][17], cerium dioxide (CeO 2 ) [18][19][20], zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2 ) [21,22], and variants of these [23], are of particular relevance to catalytic chemistry, semiconductors, and drug delivery. Porous metal oxide nano-or micro-spheres with dimension-controlled morphology possess unique properties that are especially suited to practical applications.…”

“…Several methods exist by which to obtain these structures, including hydrothermal, sol-gel, and self-assembly methods, and combinations of these. However, these methods generally involve complex multistep 4 operations and long reaction times (several hours) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]27,28]. Recently, sizeand morphology-controlled inorganic-organic hybrid metal and metal oxide nanoparticles have been synthesized in supercritical fluids.…”