Selective catalytic reduction of NO x by CO over LaMnO3 nano perovskites prepared by microwave and ultrasound assisted sol–gel method

Abstract

A series of LaMnO3 perovskites as catalysts for selective reduction of NO by CO were synthesized using microwave and ultrasound assisted sol-gel method. The catalysts were characterized by BET area measurements, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. XRD results showed revealed the orthorhobic crystalline structure and with very high purity. SEM analyses proved lower particle size for ultrasound (US) assisted synthesized LaMnO3. In addition, US assisted synthesized LaMnO3 presented higher surface area respect to other catalysts, synthesized by the other methods. Results revealed that the ultrasound assisted synthesized catalyst determines the lowest crystallite size, the highest surface area and the highest concentration of O-vacancies and, as a consequence, the highest catalytic activity.