Heat treatment-induced compositional and structural changes in the preparation of CuCrAlO4 and CuFeAlO4

Abstract

The formation of the spinel oxide compounds CuCrAlO₄ and CuFeAlO₄ has been studied at the nanolevel using thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, high-resolution elemental microscopy, and differential dissolution. The results demonstrate that, in the case of the synthesis procedure used in this study, spinel structures are formed by solid-state reactions. We have studied the dynamics of changes in the chemical and phase compositions, lattice parameters, structure, and morphology of spinel particles at temperatures of 600 and 900°C. Our findings are of practical interest in adjusting conditions for the formation of mixed oxide compounds with the spinel structure.