Effect of Calcination Temperature and Li / TFA Molar Ratio on Morphology and Phase of Lithium Fluoride Nanoparticles Produced by Fluorolytic Sol-Gel Method

In this research, synthesis of lithium fluoride (LiF) nanoparticles  by fluorolytic sol-gel method has been studied. Moreover, the effect of lithium ion to fluorine source molar ratio and calcination temperature on particle size and phase of LiF nanoparticles were investigated. Lithium acetate (C2H3LiO2), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and oleic acid were used as sources of Li+ and F- ions, solvent and growth inhibitor, respectively. Thermal and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses as well as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were used to investigate thermal behavior of the primary gel and to determine the phase and morphology of samples, respectively. The results showed that the 2: 1 molar ratio of Li+/ TFA and the calcination temperature of 400 °C result in LiF nanoparticles with a mean particle size of 80-100 nm.