An effect of hydrophobicity of cosurfactant on the growth of cerium tetrafluoride hexagonal nanorods in water-in-oil microemulsion template

Abstract

This study involves the effect of hydrophobicity of cosurfactants on the formation of cerium tetrafluoride nanoparticles inside the core of water-in-oil microemulsion. To produce the microemulsions, two distinct chain length cosurfactants, 1-butanol (4 carbon atoms) and 1-hexanol (6 carbon atoms) are employed. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) study reveals that, for both types of microemulsion, the synthesis of nanostructures typically occurs in three stages: nucleation phase (around first 15 min), transition phase (30–60 min) and growth phase (60–120 min). Microstructural analysis of Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) supports the evolution of hexagonal nanorods. In comparison to reverse micellar media based on 1-hexanol, 1-butanol based reverse micellar media participates in faster reaction. Longer hydrophobic chain length of 1-hexanol enhances the surface film rigidity and produces a well-defined phase boundary, which reduces intermicellar exchange and leads to the evolution of smaller hexagonal nanorods. Therefore, this study may assist the researcher to better understand how cosurfactants influence the growth of nanostructures of lanthanide series metal nanoparticles, using a microemulsion template.