Synthesis of K6Ta10.8O30 nanowires by molten salt technique

Research highlights: → K6Ta10.8O30 nanowires were synthesized by molten salt method. → The as-synthezied K6Ta10.8O30 nanowires were single crysalline with a growth direction of [0 0 1]. → The band gap of the K6Ta10.8O30 nanowires was about 4.1 eV. → The morphology of the products were affected by reaction temperature, time and weight ratio of the precusor (mixture of K2CO3 and Ta2O5) to KCl salt. - Abstract: The synthesis of single crystalline K6Ta10.8O30 nanowires by molten salt method was reported for the first time. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the as-prepared products were pure phase K6Ta10.8O30. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy results showed that the products consisted of wire-like nanostructures with 100-300 nm in diameter and several micrometers in length. High resolution electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction results indicated that the K6Ta10.8O30 nanowires were single crystalline with a growth direction of [0 0 1]. The ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance measurement showed that the band gap of the nanowires was about 4.1 eV. The effects of reaction temperature, time, and weight ratio of the precursor (mixture of K2CO3 and Ta2O5) to KCl salt on the morphology of the products were investigated.