Abstract
" Nanocrystalline α-Al2O3 powders have been prepared by pyrolysis of a resin compound of aluminum with polyester. In this route polymeric precursor method is used as a complexing agent, to keep the metal ions in homogeneous solution, which leaves sufficient flexibility for the system to exist homogeneously throughout the reaction without undergoing precipitation. The route involves dehydration of the solution of metal-ion-polyester complex. The metal-ion-polyester resin forms the precursor material on complete polymerization reaction of aluminum nitrate, citric acid and ethylene glycol. The single-phase α-Al2O3 powder has resulted after two-step heat treatment. The precursors and the heat-treated final powders have been characterized by X-ray diffractometry, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and BET surface area analysis. The phase-pure nanocrystalline α-Al2O3 particles had an average specific surface area of >170m2/g, with an average particle size between 40 and 60nm.
