Effect of Concentration and Temperature on the Surface Morphology of Gd2O3 Nanocrystallites in Silica

Abstract

Gd(NO3)3.6H2O and TEOS were used as precursors and obtained Gd2O3:SiO2 ceramic powder having different concentration of Gd2O3 as 2.2, 2.8, 3.4, and 4.0 wt % using solgel process. The powdered samples were annealed at 500°C and 900°C temperatures and characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, and TEM. In X‐ray diffraction, cubic phase of Gadolinium oxide is reported only for the annealed samples having higher concentration (3.4 & 4.0 wt %) of Gd2O3. SEM and TEM results further confirm that the surface morphology of the microstructures depend on the temperature and concentration.