Preparation and photoconductivity study of azo nanoparticles via liquid phase surfactant-assisted reprecipitation

4,4′-bis(1′-Azo-2′-hydroxy-3′-naphthoyl-o-chloroanide) oxazole (AZO) nanoparticles in size of 40–60 nm were prepared by the method of liquid phase surfactant-assisted reprecipitation. The AZO nanoparticles were characterized by UV/VIS absorption, X-ray diffraction pattern, and TEM measurements. It revealed that AZO nanoparticles were near spherical in shape and were in amorphous state. The photoconductivity of AZO nanoparticles in single-layered photoreceptors was studied as well. The results showed that the photoconductivity of AZO nanoparticles was improved greatly compared to that of bulk AZO due to nanometer size effect.