Synthesis of γ-Al2O3 nanowires through a boehmite precursor route

By regulating the pH values of the reaction solution, the boehmite (γ-AlOOH) nanowires and nanoflakes were successfully synthesized with a simple hydrothermal route using anhydrous AlCl3, NaOH and NH3·H2O as starting materials. Crystalline γ-Al2O3 nanowires with diameter of 10–30 nm and length of several hundreds of nanometer have been prepared by thermal decomposition of γ-AlOOH precursor. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) were used to characterize morphology and structure feathers of the synthesized samples. The pH values of the solution play important roles in the formation of γ-AlOOH nanowires. After calcinated at 500 °C for 2 h, the obtained γ-Al2O3 with a linear structure is similar to the γ-AlOOH precursor.