| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1526417 | Materials Chemistry and Physics | 2008 | 5 Pages |
The crystallization route – calcination or hydrothermal ripening – of an amorphous hafnium and germanium oxide coprecipitate determines the X/UV conversion properties of the resulting hafnium germanate (HfGeO4). The calcination of the amorphous precipitate leads to micrometric aggregated particles exhibiting strong X/UV conversion whereas its hydrothermal crystallization resulted in well individualized nanoparticles with no X/UV conversion property. To explain these phenomena, the crystalline structure and chemical composition of the final products were investigated with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The key result is that germanium is partially solubilized from the amorphous precursor in hydrothermal conditions, resulting in the crystallization of a Ge deficient hafnium germanate possessing no X/UV conversion properties.
