Synthesis of Magnesium Oxide Nanopowder by Thermal Plasma Using Magnesium Nitrate Hexahydrate

Magnesium oxide (MgO) nanopowder was synthesized by thermal plasma in a novel thermal DC plasma torch using magnesium nitrate hexahydrate. Magnesium nitrate hexahydrate (Mg(NO3)2·6H2O) was obtained from serpentinite (Mg3Si2O5(OH)4; lizardite) (Halilovskiy array, Orenburg region, Russia). The synthesized samples were characterized by analytical techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD and TEM characterization studies confirmed that MgO nanopowder obtained has periclase structure with high purity, and the particle sizes vary within the range of 100 nm to 150 nm. We believe that the present work will promote further experimental studies on the physical properties and the applications of MgO nanopowders in the fields such as high-densed ceramics, additives in bactericide, and refractory products.