Solution Combustion Synthesis-An Overview

Abstract

In recent years solution combustion synthesis is the most widely used process by chemists, physicists and materials scientists world-wide for preparing a variety of oxide materials in both nano and micron size regime. The solution combustion process which has its origin in Indian Institute of Science, India has now spread its combustion wave worldwide. The beauty of this process is the ease and simplicity with which nanosize oxides can be prepared. It involves rapidly heating a solution containing stoichiometric amounts of respective metal nitrates (oxidizer) and a fuel like urea, glycine or hydrazide. All kinds of nanosize oxides have been prepared in nano-size ranging from catalysts, dielectric materials, piezoelectric materials, phosphors, Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) materials, pigments, etc. The solution combustion synthesized nanosize oxide catalysts have shown greater promise towards environmental remediation. Among the publications related to synthesis of nanosize oxides, solution combustion synthesis occupies the lion share. In this chapter, the history of solution combustion process, a brief summary on materials prepared along with the recent advances, trends and future prospects is presented.