Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry

, Volume 16, Issue 2, pp 803–809 | Cite as

Facile preparation of Sb and oxide-coated Sb nanoparticles via cathodic dispersion of bulk Sb in different media

Original Paper
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Abstract

We report here a facile electrochemical method on the preparation of antimony nanoparticles (NPs) by dispersing a bulk antimony electrode under highly cathodic polarization in different media at room temperature, requiring neither precursor ions nor organic capping agents. The dispersion of bulk antimony in a tetrabutyl ammonium bromide (TBAB) acetonitrile solution involved the formation and oxidation of an unstable Zintl compound of antimony, and the as-prepared Sb NPs were readily transferred into Sb–Sb2O3 core–shell NPs during the post treatment and characterization because of the surface oxidation of Sb NPs by oxygen in the air. In contrast, Sb NPs prepared by dispersing the bulk antimony cathode in a blank aqueous NaOH solution were oxygen-resistant in the air because the strongly adsorbed hydroxide ions from the solution could stabilize the Sb NPs. The incorporation of sodium, the formation/oxidation of polyanions of antimony (Zintl ions), and the formation/decomposition of unstable antimony hydrides may all take effect for the cathodic dispersion of bulk antimony electrodes in the NaOH solution. Transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize these NPs.

Keywords

Antimony Nanoparticles Cathodic dispersion Zintl ions 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the financial support provided by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province of China (Grant No. Y4090658), the Open Foundation of Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials and Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Reactive Chemistry on Solid Surfaces (Grant No. DH201001), PhD Programs Foundation of the Education Ministry of China (Grant No. 20104306110003) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20673103 and 21003045).

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2011

Authors and Affiliations

  • Yingchang Yang
    • 1
  • Wei Huang
    • 1
  • Jufang Zheng
    • 2
  • Zelin Li
    • 1
  1. 1.Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Traditional Chinese Medicine Research (Ministry of Education of China), College of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringHunan Normal UniversityChangshaChina
  2. 2.Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Institute of Physical ChemistryZhejiang Normal UniversityJinhuaChina

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