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Polyol-mediated synthesis and characterization of magnesium–aluminum spinel nanoparticles

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Abstract

MgAl2O4 spinel nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using the polyol-mediated process. The study focused on the use of aluminum nitrate and magnesium acetate as precursor salts, with diethylene glycol as the solvent. The synthesis was conducted at three different temperatures: 150, 180, and 230 °C, followed by a subsequent calcination step. The dried samples consisted of a combination of magnesium oxalate and an unidentified amorphous or nanostructured phase. Upon calcination, all samples exhibited the desired MgAl2O4 spinel structure, along with a small amount of MgO. The FTIR spectra of the calcined samples confirmed the crystal structure of the MgAl2O4 phase as an inverse spinel. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed the quasi-spherical morphology of the nanoparticles, with particle sizes ranging from 70 to 120 nm for dried samples and 50 to 60 nm for calcined samples.

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Funding

This research has received support from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—finance code 88887.464399/2019–00 and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—Brasil (CNPq)—finance code 313915/2021–0.

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  1. Department of Materials Engineering (DEMAR), Lorena School of Engineering (EEL), University of São Paulo (USP), Estrada Municipal Chiquito de Aquino, Nº 1000, Mondesir, Lorena, SP, Brazil

    Pedro Henrique Lopes Nunes Abreu dos Santos & Sebastião Ribeiro

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  1. Pedro Henrique Lopes Nunes Abreu dos Santos
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Correspondence to Pedro Henrique Lopes Nunes Abreu dos Santos.

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Lopes Nunes Abreu dos Santos, P.H., Ribeiro, S. Polyol-mediated synthesis and characterization of magnesium–aluminum spinel nanoparticles. J Nanopart Res 26, 37 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-024-05953-0

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