Gel-combustion synthesis of nanocrystalline spinel catalysts for VOCs elimination

Abstract

Gel-combustion synthesis (GCS) in self-sustaining mode was used for preparation of mixed oxide with spinel structure AB2O4 (where A=Co, Cu and B=Cr, Co). To support these mixed oxides on CeO2 and ZrO2 powders, the GCS technique in self-propagating mode was developed. The synthesized materials were characterized by IR-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The GCS preparation leads to the formation of nanocrystalline, single-phase spinel catalysts, which showed high activity in VOCs (hexane) elimination. The best catalytic performance was obtained over copper cobaltite catalyst prepared by GCS from glycerin-chelated precursor.