Simple New Method for the Preparation of La(IO3)3 Nanoparticles.

Zoulikha Hebboul,Sara Allaoui,Ibn Khaldoun Lefkaier,Amira Ghozlane,Akun Liang,Robin Turnbull,Amina Touhami,Ali Benghia,Abdellah Rahmani,Daniel Errandonea

doi:10.3390/nano10122400

Abstract

We present a cost- and time-efficient method for the controlled preparation of single phase La(IO3)3 nanoparticles via a simple soft-chemical route, which takes a matter of hours, thereby providing an alternative to the common hydrothermal method, which takes days. Nanoparticles of pure α-La(IO3)3 and pure δ-La(IO3)3 were synthesised via the new method depending on the source of iodate ions, thereby demonstrating the versatility of the synthesis route. The crystal structure, nanoparticle size-dispersal, and chemical composition were characterised via angle- and energy-dispersive powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.

Highlights

Nanoparticles increasingly play a major role in technologies for cancer prevention, diagnosis, imaging, and treatment [1] due to due to their small size facilitating molecular scale interactions, and the fact that their properties can be enhanced via surface conjugation of a variety of chemicals or molecules
We report here a new and cost-effective synthesis route towards α-La(IO3)3 nanocrystals, which are predicted to be high performance IR non-linear optics (NLO) nanoparticles with optical biomarker applications
The use of HIO3 as an iodate source favours the formation of δ-La(IO3)3, demonstrating the versatility of the synthesis technique, which can target a single polymorph product

Summary

Introduction

Nanoparticles increasingly play a major role in technologies for cancer prevention, diagnosis, imaging, and treatment [1] due to due to their small size facilitating molecular scale interactions, and the fact that their properties can be enhanced via surface conjugation of a variety of chemicals or molecules. Multifunctional nanoparticles can contain specific targeting agents in order to optimise imaging applications, in [2] magnetic properties [3], cell-penetrating characteristics, and many other features. The design and synthesis of nanoparticles generates the possibility of developing tumour-specific delivery of imaging probes and therapeutic agents [4]. Additional nanoparticle applications include non-linear optics (NLO), which focuses on non-centrosymmetric nanoparticles, which exhibit second-harmonic generation (SHG) and optical properties aside from classical luminescence [5,6]. One major obstacle in metal iodate synthesis is that they exhibit rich polymorphism, and these synthesis routes do not necessarily produce single phase products. The synthesis route reported in this article reliably produces single phase nanocrystalline samples

Methods

Results

Conclusion