Highly Ordered Lamellar Mesostructure of Nanocrystalline PbSO4 Prepared by Hydrothermal Treatment

Abstract

A lamellar PbSO4 mesophase with well-crystallized walls was synthesized using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as a template and bis[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]tetrasulfide (TESPTS) as a structure-stabilizing agent through hydrothermal treatment method. The obtained layered mesostructure was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and IR spectrum. The photoluminescence properties of the products were also investigated. The sample gives two UV emission bands centered at 340 and 360 nm and four visible light emission bands in the range of 400−500 nm using an excitation wavelength of 270 nm. The results have demonstrated that TESPTS with more hydrophobic character could be responsible for the formation of this stabilized lamellar PbSO4 mesophase. A possible formation mechanism for the lamellar PbSO4 mesostructure was also proposed. Such lamellar mesostructures could provide a useful precursor for potential applications of PbSO4.