| Title | Grain growth kinetics of ZnO:Al nanocrystalline powders during calcination from sol-gels |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2011 |
| Authors | Ingham, B., Linklater R., and Kemmitt T. |
| Journal | Journal of Physical Chemistry C |
| Volume | 115 |
| Issue | 43 |
| Pagination | 21034 - 21040 |
| Date Published | 2011 |
| ISSN | 19327447 (ISSN) |
| Keywords | Activation energy, Al-doped ZnO, aluminum, Calcination, Crystallite size, Doping (additives), Gels, Grain boundaries, Grain growth, Grain growth activation energy, Grain size and shape, Growth kinetics, In-situ, Motion of atoms, Nanocrystalline powders, Relaxation models, Sol-gels, Sols, Synchrotron x ray diffraction, X ray diffraction, X ray powder diffraction, Zinc oxide, ZnO |
| Abstract | The grain growth kinetics of Al-doped ZnO nanocrystalline powders have been studied using in situ, real-time synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements during calcination at various temperatures (400-800 °C) from sol-gels with varying levels of Al dopant (0-4 mol %). Development of the crystallite size versus time was described using a relaxation model. A grain growth activation energy of 24 ± 3 kJ/mol was obtained for undoped ZnO, while for all of the Al-doped ZnO experiments the activation energy was 43 ± 4 kJ/mol. This difference is attributed to the segregation of Al to the crystallite interfaces, where it interferes with the ZnO grain growth, by inhibiting the motion of atoms across the grain boundaries. © 2011 American Chemical Society. |
| URL | http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-80055026802&partnerID=40&md5=09974d80f5b6ed417dddbcf56aadb23c |
| DOI | 10.1021/jp207140g |
