Preparation of SiO2-CuO-CeO2 Composite Powders and Its Thin Film Templated with Oxalic Acid

Silica-based ceramic-matrix composites have shown promise as advanced materials for many applications such as chemical catalysts, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, and electronics. $SiO_2$-CuO-$CeO_2$ multi-component powders and their thin film, using an oxalic acid template as a chelating agent, have larger surface areas and more uniform pore size distribution than those of inorganic acid catalysts. $SiO_2$-CuO-$CeO_2$ composite powders were synthesized using tetraethylorthosilicate, copper (II) nitrate hemi (pentahydrate), and cerium (III) nitrate hexahydrate with oxalic acid as template or pore-forming agent. The process of thermal evolution, the phase composition, and the surface morphology of these powders were monitored by thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDXS). The mesoporous property of the powders was observed by Brunner-Emmett-Teller surface (BET) analysis. The improved surface area of this powder template with oxalic acid was $371.4m^2/g$. This multi-component thin film on stainless-steel was prepared by sol-gel dip coating with no cracks.