Synthesis of alumina nanoparticles by sol-gel method and their applications in the removal of copper ions (Cu2+) from the solution

Abstract

Two different phases of alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles (γ-alumina and α-alumina) have successfully been synthesized by using a sol-gel method. During the process a mixture of aluminum nitrate and citric acid (C/N=0.5) was heated at 60°C followed by 80°C until a gel was formed. The amorphous gel structure then was dried and sintered from 600°C to 1200°C. From the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, crystalline structure of γ-alumina started to form at 800°C with average crystallite size of 11.5 nm, followed by the formation of the mixture phase of γ-alumina and α-alumina at 1000°C. The transformation from γ- to α-alumina occured at 1100°C of sintering temperature and above with the average crystallite size of 49 nm. The efficiency of the synthesized alumina nanoparticles as an adsorbents was tested by immersing the powder into the copper ions solution. The percentage of the copper removal was measured by using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). It was found that, the efficiency of the alumina nanoparticles as an adsorbent was not depending on their phases, but might due to the increased of the particle size at higher sintering temperature. The highest percentage of removal 82.1% was obtained when using the alumina sintered at 1200°C.