Morphology Control Engineering and Residual Carbon Enhancement Strategy for Precise Regulation of Catalysts

Abstract

Morphology control always plays a crucial role in the design of catalysts. However, the mechanism in most synthesis strategies, especially some general and wide-used methods, is still ambiguous, leading to the radically different morphologies even with the similar method. Herein, the fundamental mechanism in an ethylene glycol (EG) assisted Na2CO3 coprecipitation strategy is revealed. EG is detected in the precipitation due to its coordination with metal ions. And the evolution of morphology of obtained CuCo2O4 is derived from the divergent coordination of transition metal cations (M2+) and EG at different temperature (complex ions, chains, networks with the temperature rising). Moreover, abundant such EG introduces residual carbon in oxides, so that the activity and H2O resistance of CuCo2O4 are comprehensively enhanced. Based on the in-depth understanding of synthesis mechanism, the morphology and composition of catalysts can be accurately designed and regulated, which has excellent potential to be applied in various fields.

Keywords: morphology engineering, synthesis mechanism, residual carbon, DFT calculations