The high injected electron concentration and low work function C12A7:e- was successfully prepared by the sol-gel method combined with spark plasma sintering(SPS) using calcium nitrate, aluminum nitrate, citric acid, and ethylene glycol as raw materials. By analyzing the morphology of carbon and its role in the reactive synthesis, we reveal the reaction synthesis mechanism of C12A7:e- under the SPS. The analysis shows that C12A7:e- started to be generated at 800 °C. During the SPS reaction sintering process, carbon atoms from citric acid and ethylene glycol were excited by a pulsed current at high temperature, forming the carbon ions C22- and C (gas). Both act as reducing agents and react with the free oxygen ions O2- in the C12A7 cage cavity to form gaseous CO or CO2, enabling electrons to be injected into the cage cavity, thus generating C12A7:e-. Meanwhile, the graphene oxide (GO) formed on the surface of C12A7:e- grain is produced by the precursor of sol-gel synthesis in the high temperature oxidation environment, which will be conducive to improving the stability of C12A7: e- in air and high temperature oxidation resistance.
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