Synthesis and sintering of beryllium oxide nanoparticles

BeO nanoparticles were prepared by polyacrylamide gel route and the sintering properties of synthesized powder as a function of sintering temperature and time were investigated. Thermal behaviors of the polyacrylamide gel and beryllium salt were studied by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The calcination temperature (690°C) of the beryllium sulfate covered in polyacrylamide xerogel was almost 150 °C lower than that obtained by traditional methods. The nanocrystallites of the BeO particles were estimated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) according to Debye–Scherrer equation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation revealed that the average particle size of the BeO nanoparticles prepared by calcining at 800 °C for 2 h, ranges from 15 nm to 25 nm. The sintering temperature was down to 1 600 °C, which was around 200 °C lower than conventional sintering temperature of the compact sample with common powders. The densification rate was fast at the first 3 h. The thermal conductivity of the sample sintered at 1 600 °C for 6 h was 186.6 W/(m·K).