0000000000434558
AUTHOR
Ralf Bienert
Thermally highly stable amorphous zinc phosphate intermediates during the formation of zinc phosphate hydrate.
The mechanisms by which amorphous intermediates transform into crystalline materials are still poorly understood. Here we attempt to illuminate the formation of an amorphous precursor by investigating the crystallization process of zinc phosphate hydrate. This work shows that amorphous zinc phosphate (AZP) nanoparticles precipitate from aqueous solutions prior to the crystalline hopeite phase at low concentrations and in the absence of additives at room temperature. AZP nanoparticles are thermally stable against crystallization even at 400 °C (resulting in a high temperature AZP), but they crystallize rapidly in the presence of water if the reaction is not interrupted. X-ray powder diffract…
Role of Water During Crystallization of Amorphous Cobalt Phosphate Nanoparticles
The transformation of amorphous precursors into crystalline solids and the associated mechanisms are still poorly understood. We illuminate the formation and reactivity of an amorphous cobalt phosphate hydrate precursor and the role of water for its crystallization process. Amorphous cobalt phosphate hydrate nanoparticles (ACP) with diameters of ∼20 nm were prepared in the absence of additives from aqueous solutions at low concentrations and with short reaction times. To avoid the kinetically controlled transformation of metastable ACP into crystalline Co3(PO4)2 × 8 H2O (CPO) its separation must be fast. The crystallinity of ACP could be controlled through the temperature during precipitati…