Low temperature preparation and characterization of CdTiO 3 nanoplates

Abstract

An alternative low cost method was proposed for the low temperature (600 °C) preparation of CdTiO 3 nanoplates, using low-melting-point Cd(NO 3) 2 · 4H 2O and high-reactive-activity TiO 2 nanocrystals as the reactants. The structure, composition, specific surface area, thermal stability and optical properties of the as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis, UV–vis absorption and room temperature photoluminescence spectra. The as-synthesized CdTiO 3 nanoplates were thermally stable at temperatures ≤ 900 °C, and their phase changed from ilmenite to perovskite when heated in air at 1000 °C for 2 h. Besides, they exhibited a strong and broad visible light emission in the range of about 470–750 nm upon laser excitation at 325 nm, enabling their use as a luminescent material.