Preparation and characterisation of nano-ATO colloid suspension

Abstract

Colloidal processing has been proved to be an ideal technology for nanopowder dispersion and to be an effective way to disperse nanopowders such as TiO 2 , ZnO, CaCO 3 , Cu, TiN, and so on. Few reports that are focused on the dispersion of nano-scaled ATO powder in aqueous media. In this Letter, the nano-ATO colloid suspension was prepared with colloidal processing. Nano-ATO powders were treated in aqueous media with ultrasonic wave and γ-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane (MTS) was added as the coupling agent. The plausible modified mechanism of the silane coupling agent involves the hydrolysis of MTS, condensation of hydrolysis product and formation of a covalent bond, which is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared. Factors that affect the stability of nano-ATO colloid suspension were investigated in detail. Results show that the well-dispersed nano-ATO colloid suspension can be obtained under the following optimum conditions: the ultrasonication time is 30 min; pH of the colloid suspension is controlled at 7.0; the amount of MTS is 5.0%; the reaction temperature is 60°C. The particle size of nano-ATO colloid suspension is 65.2 nm and its distribution is unimodal distribution, which is further confirmed with transmission electron microscopy.