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AlO:nC composites, Aluminum oxide, Carbon, Precursor method, Sorption properties
Abstract:
The nanostructured AlO3:nC composites with enhanced chemical activity and higher solubility of oxide in acids have been synthesized. For the synthesis, an organometallic precursor, produced by thermal treatment of a mixture of Al(NO3)3·9H2O with ethylene glycol, was heated in helium atmosphere at 700–1100 °C. X-ray powder diffraction, selected-area electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of a homogeneous amorphous mass with indistinguishable boundaries between the oxide and carbon components at 700–1000 °C, while annealing at 1100 °C provoked the crystallization of γ-AlO3 nanoparticles, forming a clear AlO3/carbon interface. This specific microstructure provides a high sorption affinity of the composite for La (III), Ce (III), U (VI) ions in aqueous solutions, which is significantly higher than that of microcrystalline aluminum oxides.
