A novel yeast bio-template route to synthesize Cr2O3 hollow microspheres

Chromium oxide (Cr2O3) hollow microspheres were successfully prepared by using spherical yeast as a natural bio-template and chromium chloride hexahydrate (CrCl3 center dot 6H(2)O) as chromium source, which involved the deposition of inorganic coatings on the surface of yeast cells and subsequent thermal dehydration. Various approaches including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transformed infrared (Fr-IR) spectroscopy were used to characterize the intermediate and the final products. The results showed that the thermally treated samples were Cr2O3 hollow microspheres with a diameter varying between 2.5 mu m and 2.8 mu m. The possible mechanism for the formation of Cr2O3 hollow microspheres is proposed. This study provided a promising route for the preparation of a variety of hollow microspheres. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.