Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the synthesis and characterization of nanostructured MgAl2O4 spinel by different routes of combustion in solution. The MgAl2O4 spinel was synthesized using aluminum nitrate and magnesium nitrate as the sources of metal cations and sucrose as fuel in continuous combustion system (SCCS), and sequencing batch (CS), followed by heat treatment. The obtained powders were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, gas adsorption for surface area analysis, laser diffraction for particle size measurement, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy for crystallographic analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for powder morphology analysis. Both routes provided high purity powders and nanosized crystallites in the form of micrometric aggregates, whose properties varied depending on the oxide/fuel ratio. The SEM analyzes confirmed the aggregation of powder particles, as particles with irregular and porous morphology. The SCCS route resulted in a powder with similar properties to the CS route with the advantage of being a continuous process with high potential for industrial scale production.
Keywords:
MgAl2O4 spinel; nanostructured materials; combustion in solution
