Structural, Optical, And Adsorptive Properties Of Tantalates By A Facile Hydrothermal Method

Potassium tantalates, K2Ta2O6 and KTaO3, were synthesized by hydrothermal route. The crystal structural, optical, and adsorption properties of tantalates were investigated in the manuscript. The results indicate that the initial concentration of KOH is the determinate factor of crystal structure of tantalates. When the concentration of KOH is lower than 6M, the product is K2Ta2O6. While when the concentration is higher than 7M, the main product is KTaO3. Optical properties of tantalates analysis shows that the band gap of K2Ta2O6 is larger than that of KTaO3, which may be due to the different electronic band structure originating from the different overlapping way of the atomic orbital of tantalum and oxygen. The adsorption performance study shows that the adsorption property of K2Ta2O6 is higher than that of KTaO3, which would be assigned to its larger surface area. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.