Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR) , IIT Madras
Method for Synthesis of Ordered Mesoporous Ceria-Zirconia Solid Solution
Technology Category/Market
Category – Chemicals, Catalysts
Application – Most promising automotive three-way catalyst and has wide applications in fabricating sensors and various oxygen storage devices.
Industry – Catalysis Industry, Automotive, Sensors & Electronics, Environmental Remediation, Energy
Market – In 2023, the global chemical catalyst market size was USD 6481.8 million and it is expected to reach USD 9509.1 million by the end of 2029, with a CAGR of 5.6% during 2023-2029.
Problem Statement
- Bulk ceria incorporated zirconia is widely used as catalyst component for various oxygen storage applications in oxygen partial pressure sensing applications, driving the need for meso-structured counterparts with high surface area and tunable pore structures.
- Existing methods for synthesizing homogeneous ceria-zirconia solid solutions, including precipitation, sol-gel, hydrothermal, microwave, and other conventional methods.
- These methods often involve cumbersome and tedious steps involving long experimental duration and huge amount of material waste when good textural properties are demanded.
- However, the major challenge lies on to synthesis of ordered mesoporous materials without collapsing of ordered mesoporous framework upon removal of the surfactant by calcination procedure.
Technology
- The present invention relates to a method for synthesis and characterization of ordered mesoporous ceria-zirconia solid solutions using solvent evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA), Pluronic F-127 and a nonionic tri-block copolymer surfactant.
- The invention proposes preparation of mesoporous Ce1-xZrxO2 (x = 0.25, 0.5, and 5 0.75) by modified EISA method in a non- aqueous medium by fine tuning of the evaporation process by applying small amount of vacuum.
- Precursors: Cerium (III) nitrate hexahydrate and Zirconium (IV) oxychloride octahydrate are used as precursors.
- Vacuum Evaporation: The sol is poured onto a petri dish and allowed to evaporate under vacuum, resulting in gel formation.
- Calcination: The obtained gel is subjected to calcination at 385°C to remove the organic components and obtain mesoporous ceria-zirconia solid solutions
Key Features/Value Proposition
- Enhanced Synthesis Method: The invention introduces a modified EISA method that utilizes Pluronic F127 surfactant and vacuum evaporation.
- Narrow Pore Size Distributions: N2 sorption isotherms indicate extremely narrow pore size distributions in the range of 3.1 – 3.8 nm.
- Ordered Mesostructures: This synthesis method resulted in production of well-defined long range ordered mesostructures with unimodal meso-porosity.
Questions about this Technology?
Contact for Licensing
Research Lab
Prof. P. Selvam
NCCR & Department of Chemistry
Intellectual Property
- IITM IDF Ref. 1692
- IN 377506 – Patent Granted
Technology Readiness Level
TRL – 4
Technology Validated in Laboratory