Al2O3 Nanobricks via an Organic Free Route Using Water as Solvent

The chemical synthesis of nanomaterials has been studied by few researchers, but innumerable improvements and better methods have been reported in the past few years. This new approach of preparing aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanobricks is based on a soft reaction of aluminum powder and de-ionized (DI) water at 200oC without use of any additives or surfactants. Powder X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the as prepared nanobricks are highly crystalline in nature and by morphological investigations using FESEM, it was revealed that the bricks are rectangular in shape having width of 90±15nm and breadth of ~200nm, which was confirmed by high resolution TEM. The technique could be extended and expanded to provide a general, simple, and convenient strategy for the synthesis of nanostructures of other functional materials with important scientific and technological applications. The prospects of the process are bright and promising. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-1867-1.ch019