M. Ahila

Effect of anodization time on the growth of twinned pyramid crystals of bismite from polyhedral bismuth particle by facile electrolysis-based oxidation

ABSTRACT Nanostructured bismite films were fabricated by both thermal oxidation and electrochemical anodization of Bi film in NaOH aqueous electrolyte. Pure phase of α-bismite was obtained by the thermal oxidation technique. Pure-phase α and β bismites were successfully prepared by varying the anodization time. Truncated polyhedral aggregates of bismuth particles were converted to twinned pyramids particles having nanoscale tips with increase in anodization time. The crystallite size increased with anodization time from 43 nm to 79 nm. The band gap value lowered from 2.835(2) eV to 2.422(1) eV with anodization time and this is in agreement with the increase in crystallite size obtained from XRD. The shift in the absorption edge to higher wavelength with anodization time was attributed to the smoothening of surface and grain growth.

Photoluminescence and Photocatalytic Properties of Bi2O3 Nanostructures

Bi2O3 nanostructures were synthesized through a simple electrolysis based oxidation using NaOH electrolyte and annealed at 300 °C, 400 °C, 500 °C and 600 °C. The obtained Bi2O3 nanostructures were characterized using X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). Bi2O3 crystal structure was confirmed by XRD. When free electron and holes are combined together then emission signals are emitted from PL spectra. With this process, it is studied about the recombination and separation of photo generated holes and electrons. The photocatalytic activities of Bi2O3 films were evaluated for the degradation of Congo red in aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. Among the four samples, Bi2O3 films annealed at 300 °C have better efficiency in removing the congo red dye. For Bi-3, the initial concentration of 10 ppm decreases to 1.11 ppm after 420 min.

Structural, morphological, and optical properties of tin(IV) oxide nanoparticles synthesized using Camellia sinensis extract: a green approach

Tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles were cost-effectively synthesized using nontoxic chemicals and green tea (Camellia sinensis) extract via a green synthesis method. The structural properties of the obtained nanoparticles were studied using X-ray diffraction, which indicated that the crystallite size was less than 20 nm. The particle size and morphology of the nanoparticles were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The morphological analysis revealed agglomerated spherical nanoparticles with sizes varying from 5 to 30 nm. The optical properties of the nanoparticles’ band gap were characterized using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The band gap was found to decrease with increasing annealing temperature. The O vacancy defects were analyzed using photoluminescence spectroscopy. The increase in the crystallite size, decreasing band gap, and the increasing intensities of the UV and visible emission peaks indicated that the green-synthesized SnO2 may play future important roles in catalysis and optoelectronic devices.