Papers by Author: Anjali A. Athawale

Abstract: Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by irradiating silver nitrate solution (10-4 M) (methanol:water as a solvent) with different concentrations of aniline as a stabilizer in a 60Co g-ray source at a dose rate of 1.1 kGy. The particles exhibiting maximum stability up to a period of 7 days were obtained at the concentration of 0.1M aniline. The average particle size of the nanoparticles as estimated from XRD and TEM was found to be ~23 nm. Silver-Polyaniline (Ag-Pani) nanocomposite was prepared by oxidative polymerization of aniline. The applicability of synthesized nanocomposite as a sensor was tested by exposing the same to different chemical vapors viz. alcohols, amines, ammonia, chloroform etc. The results revealed its selectivity towards ammonia vapors and a long term stability of response is observed up to a period of two months. The above results are well supported by FT-IR spectroscopy.

Abstract: Barium zirconate, a perovskite oxide has been synthesized by a new procedure using solid state metathesis reaction precursors subjected to sonication. We report the lowest temperature of synthesis with particle size ranging from 20 to 30 nm. The initial stage involves formation of composite hydroxide nanoparticles by the solid state reaction of precursor salts with KOH at ambient temperature followed by sonication. BaZrO3 formation as a consequence of ultrasonicator output power variation and ultrasonic time variation has been studied. Results indicate that the process is convenient, low energy, environmentally benign and having narrow particle size distribution of BaZrO3.