Direct synthesis and characterization of CdO nano-cubes

A method to directly synthesize single crystalline cadmium oxide (CdO) nano-cubes in an atmospheric-pressure microwave-plasma is presented. The advantages of rapid synthesis within a few seconds and of template- or catalyst-free synthesis provide a chance of practical production and application of CdO nano-particles. The oxygen microwave plasma evaporates cadmium granules instantaneously in the plasma reactor and produces CdO nano-cubes through explosive oxidation of Cd molecules with oxygen radicals. The structural characteristics and morphologies of the as-synthesized samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET).