Synthesis of Porous Single Crystals of Metal Oxides via a Solid−Liquid Route

Abstract

Porous single crystals of Co3O4, NiO, CeO2, and Cr2O3 were produced using mesoporous silicas, SBA-15 and KIT-6, as hard templates and a new convenient approach, the solid−liquid method, was developed. Characterization of the materials was performed mainly by using X-ray powder diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The advantages and disadvantages of this solvent-free method are discussed in comparison with the previously established methods.