Effect of calcination temperature on structural properties and catalytic activity in oxidation reactions of LaNiO3 perovskite prepared by Pechini method

The study presented the preparation of the perovskite oxide LaNiO3 by the complex citrate method, paying particular attention to evolution of its formation from the amorphous precursor with varied calcination temperatures. The products obtained after heat treatment under air between 200 and 800 °C were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), SBET measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed the formation of a single phase with perovskite structure from ca. 550 °C. Tests on the two catalytic oxidation reactions of C3H6 and CO over the system calcined between mentioned temperatures were examined on the basis of characterization results and showed that optimum catalytic properties for such reactions were achieved for the perovskite calcined at 600 °C. In turn, correlations between redox and catalytic properties were established on the basis of thermogravimetric temperature programmed reduction (TPR) analysis.