Effect of hydrothermal treatment temperature on the catalytic performance of single-crystalline La0.5Sr0.5MnO3−δ microcubes for the combustion of toluene

Perovskite Oxides Prepared by Hydrothermal and Solvothermal Synthesis: A Review of Crystallisation, Chemistry, and Compositions

Perovskite oxides with general composition ABO₃ are a large group of inorganic materials that can contain a variety of cations from all parts of the Periodic Table and that have diverse properties of application in fields ranging from electronics, energy storage to photocatalysis. Solvothermal synthesis routes to these materials have become increasingly investigated in the past decade as a means of direct crystallisation of the solids from solution. These methods have significant advantages leading to adjustment of crystal form from the nanoscale to the micron-scale, the isolation of compositions not possible using conventional solid-state synthesis and in addition may lead to scalable processes for producing materials at moderate temperatures. These aspects are reviewed, with examples taken from the past decade's literature on the solvothermal synthesis of perovskites with a systematic survey of B-site cations, from transition metals in Groups 4-8 and main group elements in Groups 13, 14 and 15, to solid solutions and heterostructures. As well as hydrothermal reactions, the use of various solvents and solution additives are discussed and some trends identified, along with prospects for developing control and predictability in the crystallisation of complex oxide materials.

Three-dimensionally ordered and wormhole-like mesoporous iron oxide catalysts highly active for the oxidation of acetone and methanol

Three-dimensionally (3D) ordered and wormhole-like mesoporous iron oxides (denoted as Fe-KIT6 and Fe-CA) were respectively prepared by adopting the 3D ordered mesoporous silica KIT-6-templating and modified citric acid-complexing strategies, and characterized by a number of analytical techniques. It is shown that the Fe-KIT6-400 and Fe-CA-400 catalysts derived after 400°C-calcination possessed high surface areas (113-165 m(2)/g), high surface adsorbed oxygen concentrations, and good low-temperature reducibility, giving 90% conversion below 189 and 208°C for acetone and methanol oxidation at 20,000 mL/(g h), respectively. It is believed that the good catalytic performance of Fe-CA-400 and Fe-KIT6-400 was related to factors such as higher surface area and oxygen adspecies concentration, better low-temperature reducibility, and 3D mesoporous architecture.

Solvothermal synthesis of perovskites and pyrochlores: crystallisation of functional oxides under mild conditions

In this critical review we consider the large literature that has accumulated in the past 5-10 years concerning solution-mediated crystallisation of complex oxide materials using hydrothermal, or more generally solvothermal, reaction conditions. The aim is to show how the synthesis of dense, mixed-metal oxide materials, usually prepared using the high temperatures associated with solid-chemistry, is perfectly feasible from solution in one step reactions, typically at temperatures as low as 200 °C, and that important families of oxide materials have now been reported to crystallise using such synthetic approaches. We will focus on two common structures seen in oxide chemistry, ABO(3) perovskites and A(2)B(2)O(6)O' pyrochlores, and include a systematic survey of the variety of chemical elements now included in these two prototypical structure types, from transition metals, in families of materials that include titanates, niobates, manganites and ferrites, to main-group elements in stannates, plumbates and bismuthates. The significant advantages of solution-mediated crystallisation are well illustrated by the recent literature: examples are provided of elegant control of crystal form from the nanometre to the micron length scale to give thin films, anisotropic crystal morphologies, or hierarchical structures of materials with properties desirable for many important contemporary applications. In addition, new metastable materials have been reported, not stable once high temperatures and pressures are applied and hence not amenable using conventional synthesis. We critically discuss the possible control offered by solvothermal synthesis from crystal chemistry to crystal form and how the discovery of new materials may be achieved. Computer simulation, combinatorial synthesis approaches and in situ methods to follow crystallisation will be vital in providing the predictability in synthesis that is needed for rational design of new materials (232 references).

Mesoporous chromia with ordered three-dimensional structures for the complete oxidation of toluene and ethyl acetate

Mesoporous chromia with ordered three-dimensional (3D) hexagonal polycrystalline structures were fabricated at 130, 180, 240, 280, and 350 degrees C in an autoclave through a novel solvent-free route using KIT-6 as the hard template. The as-obtained materials were characterized (by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N(2) adsorption-desorption, temperature-programmed reduction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques) and tested as a catalyst for the complete oxidation of toluene and ethyl acetate. We found that with a high surface area of 106 m(2)/g and being multivalent (Cr(3+), Cr(5+), and Cr(6+)), the chromia (meso-Cr-240) fabricated at 240 degrees C is the best among the five in catalytic performance. According to the results of the temperature-programmed reduction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigations, it is apparent that the coexistence of multiple chromium species promotes the low-temperature reducibility of chromia. The excellent performance of meso-Cr-240 is because of good 3D mesoporosity and low-temperature reducibility as well as the high surface area of the chromia. The combustion follows a first-order reaction with respect to toluene or ethyl acetate in the presence of excess oxygen, and the corresponding average activation energy is 79.8 and 51.9 kJ/mol, respectively, over the best-performing catalyst.