OPTIMIZING PARAMETERS IN SYNTHESIS OF LiF NANOPOWDERS VIA SOL-GEL METHOD

Lithium fluoride (LiF) nanopowders were prepared by trifluoroacetate-based sol-gel processing. In this work, lithium acetate dehydrate (LiAc center dot 2H(2)O) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was used as lithium and fluorine sources. The thermal behavior of initial gel was examined using differential thermal analysis (DTA). Effects of solvent (glacial acetic acid, absolute ethanol, and ethylene glycol), Li+ concentration (0.5, 1, and 2mol/l) and decomposition temperature (200, 250, and 300 degrees C) on synthesis of LiF nanopowders by sol-gel method were investigated. The results of LPSA, FE-SEM, and XRD showed that the growth of particles and aggregation can be controlled by changing above parameters. However, it is indicated that optimum conditions are; solvent as ethanol, Li ion concentration (0.5mol/l), and decomposition temperature (300 degrees C), respectively. Also, the addition of oleic acid as an organic additive made the final LiF particles finer and about 70-90 nm.