The Function Mechanism of Current Density on Antimony Nanopowder Prepared by Electrochemical Method
The nano-antimony particles with different shape, size and stability are prepared by electrochemical method under the dilute hydrochloric acid electrolyte including the surface dispersant OP-10 and different current densities. The influences of current density on the shape and size of nanometer antimony particles prepared by electrochemical method are analyzed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results show that nano-antimony powder can be prepared by electrochemical method, and the antimony powder possesses the crystal structure with orthorhombic hexahedron. The current density has a significant impact on the agglomeration, shape and size of antimony powder. The size and shape of antimony powder are determined by the nucleation rate of nano-antimony and combination capacity of antimony ions and OP-10 surface dispersing agents affected by current density. When the current density is 25mA/cm2, the average particle size is 12nm or so, the shape is spherical, and the nano-antimony particles are well dispersed and no agglomeration.