Hydrothermal synthesis of submicrometer α-alumina from seeded tetraethylammonium hydroxide-peptized aluminum hydroxide

Abstract

Submicrometer α-alumina powder was successfully synthesized from seeded aluminum hydroxide peptized with tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TENOH) and hydrothermally treated at 200°C, using α-alumina particles as seeds. The powders were characterized by XRD, SEM, DTA-TG, and BET analyses. Results showed that seeding could greatly enhance the transition to α-alumina at 200°C without formation of other transient alumina phases. α-Alumina with some amount of boehmite formed in the seeded samples, whereas boehmite was the exclusive phase formed in the nonseeded sample. The morphology of α-alumina embedded in the boehmite matrix for the seeded samples suggests a direct transition from aluminum hydroxide to α-alumina without the formation of transient alumina phases. The formation of α-alumina in the seeded samples at temperatures as low as 200°C could be attributed to a favored nucleation in the TENOH-peptized aluminum hydroxide and to the subsequent hydrothermal treatment that supplies the necessary activation energy for crystal growth. Transition of boehmite to α-alumina in the hydrothermally treated samples with low-seed contents was significantly promoted by heat-treating the samples at 500°C.