Opto-Structural (XRD) Characterization of Locally Synthesized Barium Sulfate (BaSO4) Nanoparticles from an Aqueous Solution of Barium Chloride (BaCl2) and Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4)

The study investigated the optical and XRD structural properties of locally synthesized Barium sulphate BaSO₂ nanoparticles from an aqueous solution of barium chloride (BaCl₂) and sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) at a constant PH value of 4.5.  The Optical and structural properties of any nanoparticles play a crucial role in substantiating the suitability of such materials in device applications.  Nano-crystalline materials with excellent optical quality can find applications in optoelectronics, and in other light dependent devices. In this study the synthetic barium sulphate (BaSO₄) was prepared by mixing a solution of 0.5 M BaCl₂ with diluted 30 ml of 0.5 M H₂SO₄ at a maintained PH value of 4.5.  The optical and structural properties of the locally prepared BaSO₄ were characterized using UV-visible 1650 PC Shimadzu Ultraviolet spectrophotometer and GPC X-ray diffractometer respectively. The optical results reveal that the nanoparticle of BaSO₄ is an indirect wide band gap with a value of 4.0 eV. The nanoparticle showed a high transparency in the visible region, and a well-defined characteristic in the UV regions; this however, indicates that the material can find potential applications in UV detecting devices. The XRD results revealed that BaSO₄ nanoparticles are crystalline and exhibit the orthorhombic crystal structure. The details of the study are discussed.