Characterizations of the thermal decomposition of brucite prepared by sol-gel technique for synthesis of nanocrystalline MgO

Brucite was synthesized by the sol-gel technique using magnesium diethoxide in a homogeneous reaction medium. Its decomposition, including dehydroxylation, crystallization and phase transformation was studied by XRD, TGA-DTG, CTEM, HRTEM, SAED and FTIR techniques. It has been proposed that during the dehydroxylation and decomposition of the magnesium diethoxide gel, some vacancies are generated. The decomposition of brucite with hexagonal structure to form periclase with the cubic structure occurs in the temperature range from 473 to 773 K. In this case, nanocrystalline MgO is formed from the break down of the brucite crystalline structure.