Synthesis and characterization of antimony oxide nanoparticles

Antimony oxide nanoparticles were synthesized in the presence of the polyvinyl alcohol in water solution through the reaction between SbCl₃ and NaOH. The size of the particle ranges from 10 to 80 nm, and the largest one can even reach 200 nm, which may begin to grow in the initial stage of the reflux. Transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) were used to characterize the microstructure of these nanoparticles. Using silicon single crystals as internal standards, the polycrystalline diffraction pattern analysis shows only presence of cubic Sb₂O₃ phase. The bright-field micrograph displays that the particles may have various polyhedral configurations. HREM results show that the particles are crystallographically perfect. Moreover, the formation mechanism of nanoparticles is discussed.