SYNTHESIS OF NANOSTRUCTURED MAGNESIUM OXIDE BY SOL GEL METHOD AND ITS CHARACTERIZATION

Metals are able to form a large number of oxides. These metal oxides play an important role in many areas of chemistry, physics and material science. An important metal oxide known as magnesium oxide (MgO) having good reactivity is widely used in producing electronics, catalyst, ceramics, oil, paint etc. Magnesium oxide nanoparticle is non-toxic and need a small amount, so it is suitable for the development of flame-retardant fiber additives. In addition, nano magnesium oxide added in fuel can inhibit corrosion. Spherical shaped Magnesium oxide nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by sol-gel technique at room temperature using magnesium nitrate and sodium hydroxide as a precursor. The morphological investigation of MgO nanoparticles was done by various analytical techniques. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) indicates the crystallinity and crystal size of MgO nanoparticle. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tells about the particle size and morphology. Fourier transform infrared microscopy was used to get the infrared spectrum of the sample indicating powdered composition of the sample. UV-Visible spectroscopy was used to know the optical properties of the sample. Result confirms that brucite phase magnesium hydroxide gets converted to magnesium oxide periclase phase at room temperature.