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ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/oajrcms.2025.12.001

Mg-doped Al2O3 Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Structural, and Optical Studies Prepared Through Mechanical Ball Milling

Nakka Praveenkumar1, Michael Hlongwane1, Peter M. Norton1, Wendy B. Mdlalose1, Thishana Singh2, Mathew K. Moodley1,*

1Discipline of Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4000, South Africa.

2Discipline of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4000, South Africa.

*Corresponding author: Mathew K. Moodley

Published: December 31,2025

Abstract

Al2O3 is a prominent material for high-temperature protective layers due to its exceptional chemical resistance, good oxidation resistance, and high-temperature stability. This work used a high-energy ball milling approach to synthesize pure Al2O3, Al0.95Mg0.05O, and Al0.90Mg0.10O nanoparticles. After being heated to 1100°C, the pure Al2O3 and Mg-doped materials were examined for structural, morphological, elemental composition, and optical analyses. The pure γ-Al2O3 had a cubic structure at room temperature (RT), according to the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, while the pure Al2O3 and Mg-doped samples showed a hexagonal crystal structure when heated to 1100°C. The crystallite size decreased from 37.85 nm to 32.32 nm with increasing Mg concentration in the Mg-doped samples, as indicated by the XRD patterns, which showed no impurities. The spherical form and aggregation of the synthesized Al2O3: Mg nanoparticles were shown by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images. The produced samples had an average particle size of 80.36 nm and 80 nm. The presence of magnesium in the Al2O3 lattice, as anticipated by the stoichiometric ratio, was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Moreover, the generated samples had no additional elements. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to measure the reflectance and optical band gap (Eg). The band gap energy dropped from 4.15 eV to 4 eV with increasing Mg2+ concentrations.

Keywords

Phase change; Mg-doped Al2O3; Ball milling technique; physical properties and 1100°C

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How to cite this paper

Mg-doped Al2O3 Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Structural, and Optical Studies Prepared Through Mechanical Ball Milling

How to cite this paper: Nakka Praveenkumar, Michael Hlongwane, Peter M. Norton, Wendy B. Mdlalose, Thishana Singh, Mathew K. Moodley. (2025) Mg-doped Al2O3 Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Structural, and Optical Studies Prepared Through Mechanical Ball MillingOAJRC Material Science7(2), 24-33.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/oajrcms.2025.12.001