Preparation and physical properties of functional barium carbonate nanostructures by a facile composite-hydroxide-mediated route

Recently, barium carbonate nanomaterial has been shown to be a proven versatile candidate for the catalysis and sensor applications. The catalytic and sensing efficiency can be improved by making barium carbonate composite with a suitable transition element. In this regard, the preparation of barium carbonate and its composite with nickel during the synthesis process is presented with the composite-hydroxide-mediated method, an effective, feasible, and low-temperature synthesis route. The nanomaterial produced is monitored for the structural and optical properties with various diagnostic methods. The X-ray diffraction results show the presence of orthorhombic structure of barium carbonate in both pure and 5% nickel samples. A mixed structure is formed with the phases of barium carbonate, Ba(NO₃)₂, and Ni(NO₃)₂ for the sample with 15% nickel. The average crystallite size estimated is in the range of 14–22 nm. The scanning electron microscope pictures captured on silicon (Si) covered with the product material reveal interesting rods, needle, and flower-type morphological features. The bandgap energy obtained by diffused reflectance spectroscopy is in the expected range of 5.48–5.71 eV. The proposed method seems effective to provide a feasible route for the synthesis of a broad range of nanomaterials for research purposes.