Microwave-assisted and metal-induced crystallization: a rapid and low temperature combination

Paul Danty (1) , Antoine Mazel (1) , Benoit Cormary (1) , Maria de Marco (1) , Joachim Allouche (2) , Delphine Flahaut (2) , Javier Jiménez-Lamana (2) , Sabrina Lacomme (3) , Marie-Hélène Delville (1) , Glenna L. Drisko

1 ICMCB - Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux
2 IPREM - Institut des sciences analytiques et de physico-chimie pour l'environnement et les materiaux
3 Pôle Microscopie Electronique

Here, we present a new crystallization process which, by combining microwaves and metal-induced devitrification, reduces both the time and the temperature of crystallization compared to other known methods. Titania crystallization initiates at a temperature as low as 125 °C within a few minutes of microwave radiation. Several cations induce this low-temperature crystallization, namely, Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Al3+, Cu2+ and Zn2+. The crystallization mechanism is probed with electron microscopy, elemental mapping, single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and scanning Auger mapping. These techniques show that the metal ion migration through the vitreous titania under microwave radiation occurs prior to crystallization. The crystalline particles are suspended in solution at the end of the treatment, avoiding particle aggregation and sintering. The crystalline suspensions are thus ready for processing into a material or employment in any other application. This combination of microwaves and metal-induced crystallization is applied here to TiO2, but we are investigating its application to other materials as an ecofriendly crystallization method.

Mots clés: anatase; microwave radiation; metal-induced crystallization; X-ray; Titania

Domaines: Matériaux

Paul Danty, Antoine Mazel, Benoit Cormary, Maria de Marco, Joachim Allouche, et al.. Microwave-assisted and metal-induced crystallization: a rapid and low temperature combination. Inorganic Chemistry, 2020, 59 (9), pp.6232-6241. ⟨10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c00358⟩. ⟨hal-02612932⟩