Mesoporous zirconia nanobelts: Preparation, characterization and applications in catalytical methane combustion

Mesoporous ZrO(2) nanobelts (MZNs) have been prepared by a calcination route of ZrS(3) nanobelts in air. The nanobelts prepared at 400-600 degrees C are the mixtures of tetragonal and monoclinic phases, and have well-distributed mesopores (pore diameter of about 3.4-3.6 nm). As the calcination temperature increased from 400 to 1200 degrees C, the structures changed from tetragonal to monoclinic phase, while the morphologies turned from regular nanobelts to bead-like nanowires, and the mesopores disappeared bit by bit. Fe-doped and Fe(2)O(3)-loaded MZNs have been prepared to compare the catalytic activities of Fe-doped, Fe(2)O(3)-loaded, and pure MZNs for methane combustion. The results showed that Fe(2)O(3)-loaded MZNs have rather high catalytic activity, suggesting its potential application in practice. Methane combustion data over the catalysts are well fitted by a first-order kinetic expression. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.