One-step synthesis of hollow Cr(OH)3 micro/nano-hexagonal pellets and the catalytic properties of hollow Cr2O3 structures

Novel Cr(OH)(3) hollow hexagonal pellets are synthesized at room temperature based on the chemical reaction between CrCl3 and NaBH4 in aqueous solution without any templates and surfactants. The evolution of the products obtained at different reaction times revealed that the hollow structure was formed via an orientation self-assembly and selective-etching process. The size and shape of the Cr(OH)(3) hollow hexagonal pellets can be adjusted by changing the reaction conditions. Annealing these Cr(OH)(3) hollow pellets at high temperatures convert them into Cr2O3 hollow structures, which are demonstrated in this paper to exhibit better catalytic performance than conventional Cr2O3 nanoparticles in the dehydrogenation of isobutane. This template-free and surfactant-free method enables low cost and high yield synthesis of hollow micro/nanostructures.