Synthesis of GaN microspheres and their properties

Abstract

Abstract In this article, we report the fabrication of GaN microspheres from Ga2O3 microspheres. Gallium chloride in ethanolamine–water binary solution at 180 °C for 12 h results in γ-Ga2O3 microspheres, which was further converted into wurtzite GaN microspheres by calcinations in the flow of NH3 gas at 800 °C for 1.5 h. The synthesized Ga2O3 and GaN microspheres were characterized using XRD, FESEM, and HRTEM. The XRD patterns indicated that well-crystallized γ-Ga2O3 and wurtzite GaN were formed in a solvothermal and calcination process, respectively. The FESEM images indicated the formation of well-organized Ga2O3 and GaN microspheres, which were composed of nanosheets and nanoparticles, respectively. The FESEM observations also suggest that the initial Ga2O3 structural motifs were unaffected by the subsequent high temperature chemical transformations process. Raman spectroscopy, PL spectrum and TGA–DTA test of the as-prepared GaN product have been performed. The results indicate that GaN microspheres prepared in our experiment have excellent optical properties and thermal stability.