A comprehensive analysis of the structural, textural, and nanomechanical properties of sol–gel synthesized TiO₂, Al₂O₃, and SiO₂ nanoparticles

This study focused on analyzing the impact of the sol–gel method on the final crystalline phase and mechanical behavior of TiO₂, Al₂O₃, and SiO₂ nanopowders. The results showed that the powders obtained through sol–gel exhibited the best values of Young's modulus. To explore the textural properties further, a surface analysis was conducted, which revealed that the TiO₂, Al₂O₃, and SiO₂ powders possessed smooth, dense, and round particles. The powders also exhibited higher low surface roughness and specific surface area. Specifically, the results presented in this study indicated Rq values of 0.823 nm, S_BET values of 141 m²/g for TiO₂, Rq values of 0.783 nm, S_BET values of 520 m²/g for Al₂O₃, and Rq values of 0.720 nm, S_BET values of 651 m²/g for SiO₂. These findings suggest that the sol–gel process can effectively enhance the morphological, textural, and mechanical properties of resulting ceramic materials such as (Al₂O₃/SiO₂/TiO₂).