Synthesizing Alkaline Earth Metal Hydroxides Nanoparticles through an Innovative, Single-Step and Eco-Friendly Method

The objective of this paper is to introduce a patented and eco-friendly method to synthesize aqueous suspension of all types of alkaline-earth metal hydroxides nanoparticles (NPs). This method is based on an ion exchange process; the exchange takes place at ambient temperature/pressure, starts from cheap or renewable reagents and, in one single step, results in the creation of the crystalline desired nanoparticles in only a few minutes. In terms of structural and morphological features, the synthesized nanoparticles are characterized by means of XRD-Rietveld refinement, FTIR, and TEM. In particular, we obtained pure and crystalline magnesium and calcium hydroxide suspensions, showing the typical brucite crystal structure with a hexagonal lamellar morphology and dimensions generally <100 nm. With respect to the strontium and barium hydroxide suspensions, we observed different kinds of hydroxides (either anhydrous and hydrate forms), characterized by orthorhombic or monoclinic crystal lattices with rod-like nanostructured morphologies. Despite the different morphologies, all synthesized nanoparticles appear constituted by a superimposition of primary nanoparticles, of dimensions ranging from a few to 15 nm, correlated to the increase in the atomic number of the alkaline earth metal.

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