Low-temperature stearic acid sol–gel synthesis of α-Al2O3 quantum dots and its optical properties

Quantum dots of α -Al 2 O 3 were synthesized by the stearic acid sol–gel synthesis. The prepared material is characterized through XRD, FTIR, and TEM, for structural studies, and optical investigation is done through UV–Vis and FL spectra analysis. XRD analysis shows that the crystalline α -Al 2 O 3 is obtained directly using the stearic acid sol–gel synthesis method. The particle sizes calculated from XRD, TEM, UV–Vis, and FL spectra are in good correlation. The sample shows very good UV absorption at 254 nm and blue emission at 403 nm. Graphical abstract