Preparation of CdO nanoparticles by mechanochemical reaction

CdO nanoparticles of 43 nm in crystal size were successfully synthesized by the mechanochemical reaction (CdCl2 + Na2CO3) with NaCl as a diluent and subsequent thermal treatment at 700 degreesC for 2 h. The samples were characterized by differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Effect of calcination temperature on the crystal size of CdO nanoparticles was primarily investigated. The apparent activation energy of CdO nanoparticle formation during thermal treatment was calculated to be 12.2 kJ/mol.