Abstract
A powder, containing 80 percent of blue cobalt aluminate $(CoAl_2O_4)$ crystallites, was synthesized at $210 ^{\circ}C$ using a (metal nitrate-malonic acid-ammonium hydroxide-ammonium nitrate) system. The optimal amount of concentrated ammonia water and initial decomposition temperature were determined for the blue $CoAl_2O_4$ crystallites preparation. Three $CoAl_2O_4$ precursor pastes, corresponding to the various amounts of concentrated ammonia water, were prepared by evaporating the initial solutions in an electric furnace fixed at $80 ^{\circ}C$ under a vacuum of 25 torr. The initial solution was used to dissolve the starting materials. The powder with the maximum content (80%) of blue $CoAl_2O_4$ crystallites was prepared when the prepared precursor was decomposed at $210 ^{\circ}C$. The blue $CoAl_2O_4$ crystallite content in the prepared sample decreased with increasing initial decomposition temperature. For 0.2 mole of the $Al^{3+}$ ion, the chemical compositions of the precursor corresponded to molar ratios of 0.4, 1.40, 2.56 and 2.00 for the $Co^{2+}$ ion, malonic acid, ammonia and ammonium nitrate per mole of the $Al^{3+}$ ion, respectively. The blue $CoAl_2O_4$ crystallite content in the sample decreased with the amount of ammonia deviated from the optimal value. The characteristics of the powders were examined using X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller technique.
