Synthesis and characterization of lithium aluminate nanoparticles

In this work, we report the synthesis of lithium aluminate nanoparticles using simple coprecipitation method in various aqueous surfactant solutions and microemulsion systems. The particles have also been synthesized by coprecipitation without surfactants and sol–gel methods for comparison purpose. Nanocrystalline powders of lithium aluminate with spherical shape were obtained upon calcination. The resultant powders were characterized by XRD, SEM, TGA and BET techniques. As per the results from X-ray diffraction (XRD), the powder prepared by coprecipitation in the presence of Tween 80 and sol–gel showed purer γ-phase when it was calcined at 950 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results show that the type of surfactant used has a distinct effect on the size of the lithium aluminate particles. The sample prepared by microemulsion technique shows smaller average particle size of 30 nm and high surface area (70 m2/g).