Synthesis of bismuth oxide nanoparticles at 100 °C

A simple gel to crystal conversion route has been followed for the preparation of ultrafine Bi2O3 particles at 80–100 °C under refluxing conditions. Freshly prepared bismuth hydroxide gel is allowed to crystallize under refluxing and stirring conditions for 6–12 h. Formation of nanocrystallites of Bi2O3 is confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) study. The thermal decomposition of bismuth hydroxide yields Bi2O3 only at 400 °C. This shows the advantage of the present method. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) investigations revealed that the average particle size is 50 nm for these oven-dried powders.