Observation of cotton-like bismuth oxide (β-Bi2O2.5) prepared via pulsed laser ablation deposition

• Main Authors: Waje, Samaila Bawa, Yahya, Noorhana, Ramli, Irmawati
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2009
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/40562/1/Observation%20of%20Cotton-like%20Bismuth%20Oxide%20%28%CE%B2-Bi2O2.5%29%20Prepared%20via%20Pulsed%20Laser%20Ablation%20Deposition.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/40562/; http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JST%20Vol.%2017%20%282%29%20Jul.%202009/12%20Pages%20299-306.pdf

Monoclinic bismuth oxide (α-Bi2O3) nanoparticles were prepared via precipitation method and irradiated with a pulsed laser forming thin films. Their phase and surface morphological properties were investigated using x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The XRD analysis shows the phase transformation to a partially crystalline tetragonal phase β-Bi2O3 thin film. The SEM micrograph of the nanoparticles, with an average crystal size of 72 nm, was seen to form a thin film with a peculiar structure, coined as “cotton-likeâ€�, is attributed to the high surface energy absorbed by the nanoparticles during ablation. The HR-TEM micrograph shows the particulate with a clearly defined interlayer spacing.