title: Cd(1-x)Zn(x)O [0.05 ≤x≤ 0.26] synthesized by vapor-diffusion induced hydrolysis and co-nucleation from aqueous metal salt solutions.
abstract: Nanoparticulate Cd(1-x)Zn(x)O (x = 0, 0.05-0.26, 1) is synthesized in a simple two-step synthesis approach. Vapor-diffusion induced catalytic hydrolysis of two molecular precursors at low temperature induces co-nucleation and polycondensation to produce bimetallic layered hydroxide salts (M = Cd, Zn) as precursor materials which are subsequently converted to Cd(1-x)Zn(x)O at 400 °C. Unlike ternary materials prepared by standard co-precipitation procedures, all products presented here containing < 30 mol% Zn(2+) ions are homogeneous in elemental composition on the micrometre scale. This measured compositional homogeneity within the samples, as determined by energy dispersive spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, is a testimony to the kinetic control achieved by employing slow hydrolysis conditions. In agreement with this observation, the optical properties of the materials obey Vegard's Law for a homogeneous solid solution of Cd(1-x)Zn(x)O, where x corresponds to the values determined by inductively coupled plasma analysis, even though powder X-ray diffraction shows phase separation into a cubic mixed metal oxide phase and a hexagonal ZnO phase at all doping levels.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, California NanoSystems Institute and Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schwenzer
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Neilson
authors.forename: Stacie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jeffries
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Morse
mesh_terms: D002104:Cadmium / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D004058:Diffusion; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012492:Salts / Q000737:chemistry; D012996:Solutions / Q000737:chemistry; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005740:Gases; D012492:Salts; D012996:Solutions; D002104:Cadmium; D014867:Water; D015034:Zinc Oxide