Synthesis and characterization of lead oxide nano-powders by sol-gel method

Our goal in this research was to obtain lead oxide nano-powders by sol-gel method. In this method, lead oxide nano-powders were synthesized through the reaction of citric acid (C6H7O8 center dot H2O) solution and lead acetate [Pb(C2H3O2)(2)] solution as stabilizer and precursor, respectively. The effect of different parameters including calcination temperature, (molar ratio of citric acid to lead acetate) and drying conditions were investigated. The prepared lead oxide nano-powders were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The prepared PbO samples consist of the particles in the range of 50-120 nm or the thick plate like structures with thickness of 53 nm depending on the drying conditions.