Low-temperature electrochemical synthesis and characterization of ultrafine Y(OH)3 and Y2O3 nanoparticles

Ultrafine Y(OH)3 nanoparticles were successfully deposited from an additive-free 0.005 mol/L YCl3 low-temperature bath on the steel cathode at the current density of 0.5 mA/cm2 and bath temperature of 10 °C. Heat treatment of the prepared Y(OH)3 nanoparticles at 600 °C in air led to the formation of Y2O3 nanoparticles. Thermal behavior and phase transformation during the heat treatment of Y(OH)3 were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogramimetric analysis (TGA). The morphologies, crystal structures and compositions of the prepared materials were examined by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FT-IR spectroscopy. The results showed that the prepared Y(OH)3 nanoparticles was essentially amorphous and composed of well dispersed ultrafine particles with size of 4 nm. After heat treatment, the obtained oxide product was well crystallized cubic phase of Y2O3 nanoparticles with the grain size of around 5 nm. It was concluded that low-temperature cathodic electrodeposition offered a facile and feasible way for preparation of ultrafine Y(OH)3 and Y2O3 nanoparticles.