Abstract
In this paper, a modified top-down method is adopted to synthesize highly stable and water-soluble Molybdenum trioxide quantum dots (MoO3 QDs) without any surfactants. In this sonication induced modified method, commercial Molybdenum Oxide powder and Hydrochloric acid were used as the precursor and etchant, respectively. The impact of sonication bath temperature on the morphological, microstructural, size, crystal-structural, and optical properties of MoO3 QDs have been systematically investigated. The controlled sonication bath temperature during the synthesis process results in the tunability of the QDs. The mechanism behind the controlled size of the QDs deeply rooted in the acoustic cavitation phenomenon. The synthesized QDs exhibit poly-crystallinity with mixed phases: orthorhombic (α-MoO3) and hexagonal (h-MoO3). Interestingly, the complete elimination of the hexagonal phase from the QDs has been observed as a function of sonication bath temperature.
NSTL
Elsevier