Share:
Oxide spinels (OSs) have been identified as perspective functional materials in various fields of applications including water treatment, degradation of dyes, hyperthermia, and drug delivery and as antibacterial agent. In recent years, extensive researches are devoted to the synthesis and properties of spinel nanooxide systems to fulfill the essential requirement of better chemical and thermal stabilities with enhanced catalytic and photocatalytic. In this chapter, the applications of OSs (ferrites, aluminates, chromites) as heterogeneous catalysts in different inorganic processes and as photocatalysts in many chemical processes such as decomposition, oxidation, reduction, and construction are described. The catalytic properties of OSs crucially depend on the distribution of cations among the octahedral and tetrahedral sites in the spinel structure and accordingly the corresponding physical properties. In particular, the most interesting feature of spinel ferrites is the magnetic property for the removal of catalyst from the reaction medium by means of a magnet without loss of catalytic or photocatalytic activities. These compounds have well-established catalytic characteristics for many reactions including carbon monoxide oxidation, catalytic decomposition of greenhouse gases (CO2, N2O, CH4), catalytic combustion (oxidation) of soot, and the growth of the CNTs. Through this chapter, we hope to provide the readers with a distinct perspective of the present and future of this field. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019. All Rights Reserved.
