Highly Efficient Nanoarchitectured Ni5TiO7 Catalyst for Biomass Gasification

We report the synthesis of needle-shaped nanocrystals of Ni5TiO7 utilizing a solid-phase reaction of NiO with a porous and rough TiO2 surface produced by plasma electrolytic oxidation. The single crystalline orthorhombic nanocrystals are grown along the [010] axis, featuring a length of similar to 10 mu m and diameters varying from several tens of nanometers up to 200 nm. The resulted novel Ni5TiO7/TiO2/Ti nanoarchitectured compound composite has been proven outstandingly active as a catalyst and appears most suitable for high-temperature operation in biomass gasification. The findings may pave the way to an improved and environmentally friendly technology of energy generation.