Investigation of the optical properties of Mg(OH)2 and MgO nanostructures obtained by microwave-assisted methods

Two simple methods for the synthesis of Mg(OH)(2) nanostructures, MgO nanoflakes and MgO/Mg(OH)(2) nanocomposite using a conventional microwave oven are reported. The first method includes the preparation of Mg(OH)(2) by a simple reaction of magnesium powder with deionized water under microwave radiation. The second approach relates to the transformation of Mg(OH)(2) to MgO nanoflakes and grasslike nanostructures by rapid microwave hybrid heating using a SiC-based composite susceptor. The as-synthesized samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) The optical properties of the samples are investigated using UV-visible spectroscopy to study the reflective index and optical dielectric constant. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.