Low-temperature synthesis of homogeneous solid solutions of scheelite-structured Ca_1−xSr_xWO₄ and Sr_1−xBa_xWO₄ nanocrystals

Abstract

A series of compositionally complex scheelite-structured nanocrystals of the formula A1-xAWO4 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) have been prepared under benign synthesis conditions using the vapor diffusion sol-gel method. Discrete nanocrystals with sub-20 nm mean diameters were obtained after kinetically controlled hydrolysis and polycondensation at room temperature, followed by composition-dependent thermal aging at or below 60 °C. Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffraction data and Raman spectroscopy verified the synthesis of continuous and phase-pure nanocrystal solid solutions across the entire composition space for A1-xAWO4, where 0 ≤ x ≤ 1. Elemental analysis by X-ray photoelectron and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopies demonstrated excellent agreement between the nominal and experimentally determined elemental stoichiometries, while energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy illustrated good spatial elemental homogeneity within these nanocrystals synthesized under benign conditions.