Issue 44, 2013

Synthesis, characterization and electrochemical properties of iron-zirconia solid solution nanoparticles prepared using a sol–gel technique

Abstract

The range of compositions and temperatures at which single-phase tetragonal and monoclinic Fe-containing zirconia nanoparticles are stable is reported. Both types of iron-doped zirconia particles were synthesized by annealing dried gels FexZr1−xO2, with nominal compositions in the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.15, over the range of temperatures between 400 °C and 1300 °C. Monophasic crystalline specimens of Fe-ZrO2 solid solutions were characterized by different techniques including X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), infrared and Raman spectroscopies (IR and Raman), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Energy gaps were estimated from diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible spectra (DRUV-Vis) and compared with those obtained from electrochemical data. Upon increasing the amount of iron in both types of iron-containing zirconia-based structures the energy gaps slightly lowered. The electrochemical properties of those solid solutions obtained using the voltammetry of microparticles (VPM) technique indicated the presence of a small portion of iron as Fe2+ in both types of crystalline Fe-doped ZrO2. Electrochemical data suggest that the monoclinic solid solutions provide a particularly high accessibility for promoting catalytic processes such as electrochemical oxygen reduction.

Graphical abstract: Synthesis, characterization and electrochemical properties of iron-zirconia solid solution nanoparticles prepared using a sol–gel technique

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 Jul 2013
Accepted
27 Sep 2013
First published
27 Sep 2013

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2013,15, 19312-19321

Synthesis, characterization and electrochemical properties of iron-zirconia solid solution nanoparticles prepared using a sol–gel technique

G. Herrera, N. Montoya, A. Doménech-Carbó and J. Alarcón, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2013, 15, 19312 DOI: 10.1039/C3CP53216J

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