Effect of citric acid and starch as emulsifier on phase formation and crystallite size of lanthanum oxide nanoparticles

Lanthanum oxide nanoparticles were synthesized via thermal decomposition method of the lanthanum nitrate in the presence of citric acid or starch as emulsifier. The effects of emulsifier and calcination temperature were investigated on the phase transformation and particle size distribution of the products. La2O3 nanoparticles were synthesized by drying lanthanum precursor and emulsifier solution, followed by calcination process at 600 and 900 degrees C, respectively. Products were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TG/DTA) and nitrogen adsorption method (porous characteristics). The morphology of the samples analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Average crystallite size of the products was calculated by XRD data and average particle size was measured from the TEM micrographs. Lanthanum dioxycarbonate in different forms of the tetragonal and monoclinic is crystallized in the presence of citric acid and starch during the calcination at 600 degrees C, respectively. The hexagonal structure, however, is detected as the only crystalline phase formed by calcination at 900 degrees C.