Table Of ContentSpringerBriefs in Materials
Serena Esposito
Sol–Gel Synthesis
Strategies for Tailored
Catalytic Materials
SpringerBriefs in Materials
Series Editors
Sujata K. Bhatia, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
Alain Diebold, Schenectady, NY, USA
Juejun Hu, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
Kannan M. Krishnan, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Dario Narducci, Department of Materials Science, University of Milano Bicocca,
Milano, Italy
Suprakas Sinha Ray , Centre for Nanostructures Materials, Council for Scientific
and Industrial Research, Brummeria, Pretoria, South Africa
Gerhard Wilde, Altenberge, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
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Serena Esposito
Sol–Gel Synthesis Strategies
for Tailored Catalytic
Materials
Serena Esposito
Department of Applied Science
and Technology and INSTM Unit
Politecnico di Torino
Turin, Italy
ISSN 2192-1091 ISSN 2192-1105 (electronic)
SpringerBriefs in Materials
ISBN 978-3-031-20722-8 ISBN 978-3-031-20723-5 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20723-5
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To my mum, who taught me to never give up
and to always believe that my future could be
whatever I dreamt it to be.
To my husband, my son and my daughter, who
have always supported me
Preface
Provides an overview of the sol–gel synthesis of supported metal and metal oxide
catalysts from the perspective of reliable, sustainable and cost-effective processes.
Introduces sol–gel chemistry from its origins, and then gradually moves on to the
most current fascinating strategies for the preparation of tailor-made catalysts.
Organises and develops the different subjects in such a way that goes beyond theo-
retical considerations and rather provides strategies for the rational design of high-
performance catalysts, abandoning the time-consuming trial-and-error approach.
Torino, Italy Serena Esposito
vii
About This Book
This book provides the reader with an understanding of the basics of sol–gel chem-
istry as a fundamental tool for the rational design of heterogeneous catalysts based
on supported metals and metal oxides. One of the main objectives is to illustrate the
versatility of sol–gel preparation, highlighting its advantages over other preparation
methods. The reader is accompanied through each step of the sol–gel synthesis in
order to show the impact that the process parameters have on the final product. In
this regard, the reader is given some hints for the manipulation of structural, textural
and morphological properties within the different types of chemistry that can be
considered under the heading ‘sol–gel’.
The target audience of this book is researchers working on the catalytic process
who can benefit from knowing how to master the sol–gel synthesis method to prepare
tailored and multifunctional inorganic catalysts.
ix
Contents
1 Introduction .................................................... 1
1.1 The Multifaceted Role of Oxides in Heterogeneous Catalysis ...... 2
1.2 Synthesis Approaches to Nanocatalysts ......................... 3
1.2.1 Impregnation Method .................................. 5
1.2.2 (Co)precipitation Method .............................. 6
1.2.3 Hydrothermal/Solvothermal Process ..................... 6
1.3 Sol–Gel Chemistry for Oxides Preparation ...................... 7
References ...................................................... 9
2 “Traditional” Sol–Gel: The Chemistry of Alkoxides ................ 13
2.1 Hydrolysis and Condensation Reactions: An Overview ............ 13
2.2 Silicon Alkoxides ........................................... 14
2.2.1 Acid and Base Catalysis ............................... 16
2.3 Transition Metal Alkoxides ................................... 18
References ...................................................... 19
3 From (Sub)colloidal Growth to the Gel Structure ................... 21
3.1 Polymeric Gel Versus Colloidal Gel ............................ 21
3.2 Aging ...................................................... 24
3.3 Water Can Be a Strategic Parameter ............................ 25
References ...................................................... 29
4 From Wet Gel to the Final Product: Draw Your Way ............... 33
4.1 Drying Methods ............................................. 33
4.2 Thin Film Formation ......................................... 36
References ...................................................... 40
5 Evolution of Sol–Gel Chemistry .................................. 43
5.1 Organic–Inorganic Hybrids ................................... 43
5.2 Non-hydrolitic Routes ........................................ 46
5.3 The Pechini Method ......................................... 48
References ...................................................... 50
xi
xii Contents
6 Synthetic Strategies for (Supported) Metal and Metal Oxide
Catalysts: Case Studies .......................................... 53
6.1 Acid Catalysts .............................................. 53
6.2 Highly Dispersed Supported Metal Catalysts .................... 57
6.3 Reverse Micelle Approach for Photocatalysts .................... 65
References ...................................................... 67
