Synthesis of Ca(OH)2 nanoparticles by wet chemical method

This Letter reports a process of preparation and characterisation of Ca(OH)(2) nanoparticles without using any surfactant. Ca(OH)(2) is frequently used as precipitant, catalyst, paint, toxic-waste remediation agent, adsorbent and so on. To prepare stable Ca(OH)(2) nanoparticles, a simple hydrolysis method was applied using Ca(NO3)(2)center dot 4H(2)O as the precursor, aqueous NaOH as the precipitant and ethane-1,2-diol (ED) as the medium. The nanoparticles were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results showed that the nanoparticles are of about 47 nm in diameter and P3m1 hexagonal structure. The method is simple and effective so that nanoparticles are stable up to 45 days, confirmed by the XRD pattern.