ID :
185025
Sat, 05/28/2011 - 14:50
Auther :

Iranian Scientists Develop Eco-Friendly Nanostructures to Replace Toxic Green Pigments

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian researchers at the Institute of Color Science and Technology (ICST) managed to prepare non-toxic corrosion-resistant green nanostructures with prospective application in ceramic industry, using microwave technology.
"We sought to synthesize nanostructural green pigments to substitute for chromium and posses favorable corrosion resistance as well," Susan Rasouli, faculty of ICST, said.

"Conventional green pigments being used in ceramic industry are based on chromium compounds, chromium oxide in particular, and have hazardous impacts on environment. Therefore, searching for alternative replacements is of significant importance and highly granted," she added.

In brief, Rasouli synthesized the aforementioned structures through doping of cobalt into zinc oxide structures. The fabrication process exploited the liquid phase thermal method which entails microwaves.

According to Rasouli, the employment of microwaves not only reduces the reaction time down to less than one minute but also guarantees a high quality product with desirable green color.

The researcher has utilized a mixture of citric and glycine fuels in the thermal technique to benefit from the synergy involved.

Rasouli stated that the sizes of the nanocrystalline range from 38 to 61 nm. "The morphology of the particles change from rod to sphere with glycine content," she added.




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