Ca3(PO4)2 biomaterial: A non toxic template to prepare highly porous Cr2O3

There is great interest in finding efficient templates. Here we report that Cr2O3 powders with enhanced surface properties were synthesized by a calcination of chromium nitrate salt that used Ca-3(PO4)(2) calcium phosphate nanopowder as a biotemplate reactant. We used various amounts of template in order to modulate the surface properties of the chromium oxide powder, which was characterized by different techniques. Improved surface properties (S-BET=49.59 m(2)/g, V-p= 0.18 cm(3)/g) for the Cr2O3 powder were obtained with a Cr2O3/Ca-3(PO4)(2) weight ratio of 1. This calcium-based biotemplate is clearly an alternative to other conventional templates used for preparing large surface materials. The template is nontoxic and readily removable, which are real advantages. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.