Uniform bismuth nanospheres were successfully prepared from bismuth nitrate in the presence of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) by solvothermal process. The product was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray. PVP plays a critical role both as a reducing agent and ...

Bismuth is a heavy metal and was regarded until recently to be the heaviest stable element. It was discovered around ten years ago that the only natural isotope of bismuth, 209Bi, is an alpha emitter with a halflife of 1.9 x 1019 years [1]. Due to the low stability in aqueous solutions of bismuth derivatives with the oxidation number +V, bismuth with the oxidation number +III is regarded as the...

Bismuth is a heavy metal and was regarded until recently to be the heaviest stable element. It was discovered around ten years ago that the only natural isotope of bismuth, 209Bi, is an alpha emitter with a halflife of 1.9 x 1019 years [1]. Due to the low stability in aqueous solutions of bismuth derivatives with the oxidation number +V, bismuth with the oxidation number +III is regarded as the...