Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Effect of Ethylene Glycol:Citric Acid Molar Ratio and pH on the Morphology, Vibrational, Optical and Electronic Properties of TiO2 and CuO Powders Synthesized by Pechini Method

Mónica A. Vargas-Urbano
,
Lorena Marín
* ORCID logo ,
Winny Mónica Castillo
,
Luis Alfredo Rodríguez
,
César Magén
,
Milton Manotas-Albor
,
Jesús Evelio Diosa
,
Katherine Gross
Version 1 : Received: 11 May 2022 / Approved: 11 May 2022 / Online: 11 May 2022 (08:54:56 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Vargas-Urbano, M.A.; Marín, L.; Castillo, W.M.; Rodríguez, L.A.; Magén, C.; Manotas-Albor, M.; Diosa, J.E.; Gross, K. Effect of Ethylene Glycol: Citric Acid Molar Ratio and pH on the Morphology, Vibrational, Optical and Electronic Properties of TiO2 and CuO Powders Synthesized by Pechini Method. Materials 2022, 15, 5266. Vargas-Urbano, M.A.; Marín, L.; Castillo, W.M.; Rodríguez, L.A.; Magén, C.; Manotas-Albor, M.; Diosa, J.E.; Gross, K. Effect of Ethylene Glycol: Citric Acid Molar Ratio and pH on the Morphology, Vibrational, Optical and Electronic Properties of TiO2 and CuO Powders Synthesized by Pechini Method. Materials 2022, 15, 5266.

Abstract

High purity TiO2 and CuO powders were synthesized by the Pechini method, an inexpensive and easy-to-implement procedure to synthetize metal oxides. The variables of synthesis were the ethylene glycol:citric acid molar ratio and the pH. High reproducibility of the anatase and tenorite phase was obtained for all synthesis routes. The degree of purity of the powders was confirmed by XRD, FTIR, UV-vis absorption and XPS spectra. SEM and TEM images revealed the powders are composed by micrometer grains that can have a spherical shape (only in the TiO2) or formed by a non-compacted nanocrystalline conglomerate. FTIR spectra only vibrational modes associated to the TiO2 or CuO with a nanoparticle behavior. UV-vis absorption spectra revealed the values of maximum absorbance percentage of both systems are reached in the ultraviolet region, with percentages above 83 % throughout the entire visible light spectrum for the CuO system, a relevant result for solar cell applications. Finally, XPS experiments allow the observation of the valence bands and the calculation of the energy bands of all oxides.

Keywords

Pechini method; TiO2; CuO; anatase; tenorite; band gap; absorbance; diffuse reflectance; XPS

Subject

Physical Sciences, Condensed Matter Physics

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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