Modification of the properties of α-Bi2O3 nanoparticles using 60Co gamma radiation.

A simple solution combustion route was adopted to synthesize monoclinic bismuth oxide (α-Bi2O3) nanoparticles using bismuth nitrate pentahydrate [Bi (NO3). 5H2O] and citric acid [C6H8O7] as oxidizer and fuel respectively. In order to study the effect of irradiation, the precursor solution and also the nanoparticles of Bi2O3 have been irradiated with 25 kGy of 60Co gamma radiation. The obtained unirradiated, precursor solution irradiated and irradiated α-Bi2O3 nanoparticle samples were characterized using various techniques to study the change in the properties due to 60Co gamma radiation. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis was carried out to study the structural properties and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was carried out to study the optical characteristics of the synthesized samples before and after irradiation. The crystallite size calculated using XRD results was found to increase with the irradiation compared to unirradiated sample indicating the increase in crystallinity of the sample. The FTIR spectra reveals the stretching vibrations of the bonds present in the sample and there is no significant change in the vibrational frequencies of the sample with irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]