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Synthesis of Morphology Processable α‐AlPO 4 Nanoparticles, Nanowires, and Multi‐strand Nano‐ropes
Author(s) -
Yang ChungSung,
Kau KuoYi
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of the chinese chemical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.329
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 2192-6549
pISSN - 0009-4536
DOI - 10.1002/jccs.200500069
Subject(s) - nanowire , nanoparticle , nanocrystal , morphology (biology) , chemical engineering , chemistry , nanotechnology , amphiphile , phase (matter) , nano , nanomaterials , copolymer , molecule , hydrothermal circulation , materials science , polymer , organic chemistry , genetics , engineering , biology
In this paper we present aluminum phosphate nanocrystals, prepared by a hydrothermal reaction, using amphiphilic triblock copolymer F127 [(EO) 106 (PO) 70 (EO) 106 ] as a morphology‐directing template. By verifying the pH from 10 to 12, the morphology progression of AlPO 4 nanocrystals from nanoparticles to nanoparticle‐aggregated nanowires, and finally to multi‐strand nano‐ropes, was successfully demonstrated. The most influential factors in the morphology process were the initial pH level, the participation of surfactant‐template F127, and the change in pH during the reaction. We proposed a pH‐dependent model to illustrate both the growth of AlPO 4 nanocrystals inside F127 amphiphilic domains and the chemical driving force that aggregated the nanoparticles into chain‐shaped nanowires. The incorporation of water molecules as H‐bonding linkers, to combine single nanowires into multi‐strand nano‐ropes, is also discussed in this model. Powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the nanoparticle‐aggregated nanowires and multi‐strand nano‐ropes were consistent with a mixed phase of berlinite and cristobalite structures, corresponding to the low‐temperature form (a‐form), while the AlPO 4 nanoparticles showed a pure berlinite phase only.