Gel routes to environmental catalysts

Various methods for the preparation of metal oxide catalysts for environmental control purposes are described. These include coprecipitation, sol-gel, and impregnation, and are used to prepare mixed oxide catalysts of the types SnO₂-MO₂ (M=Ce or Zr), SnO₂-Ln₂O₃ (Ln = lanthanide), Ln-doped CeO₂, Cr (VI)-doped SnO₂, and Cu(II)-doped SnO₂. The aggregation in stable colloidal sols of SnO₂, CeO₂ and ZrO₂ is dependent on the concentration of the metal oxide. Techniques for the characterisation of these catalyst materials include gas adsorption, X-ray diffraction, and TEM/EDXA.