Novel routes for synthesis of rare earth oxychlorides

Abstract

Rare earth oxychlorides (REOCl) have received significant interest for their potential applications in chloride ion conductors, catalysts, luminescent materials due to their unique and special properties. Many synthesis methods were reported for their production including solid-state, flux-assisted, and sol-gel techniques. The present study introduces two straightforward solid state synthesis routes for synthesizing desired oxychlorides. In the first route, REOCl is prepared by roasting of a mixture of hydrous rare earth chloride (RECl3.xH2O) and rare earth oxide (RE2O3) powder. The second route involves, initial curing followed by roasting a portion of RE2O3 with hydrochloric acid (HCl) for production of the oxychlorides. For both routes, the optimal process conditions were first defined for LaOCl synthesis. Subsequently, the refined conditions of second method were successfully applied to the synthesis of NdOCl and SmOCl. The thorough mineralogical and morphological analysis of the obtained products under these conditions provides valuable insights into their characteristics and potential applications.