A new in situ methodology for the quantification of the oxygen storage potential in perovskite-type materials

A well known perovskite-type material, LaFeO3, was prepared by citrate-nitrate autocombustion synthesis and used to formulate a new in situ approach for the analytical evaluation of the redox properties of this class of materials. Carbon monoxide was used as reducing agent-probe, while molecular oxygen was used as oxidizing agent-probe. In situ FTIR spectroscopy was applied for a qualitative characterization of the interaction probe-material, and microgravimetry was used in order to quantify the extent of such interaction. The results obtained indicated that simple molecules, such as CO and O2, are able to define the redox properties of the material without inducing any important modification as in the case of the more classical temperature -programmed reduction and oxidation methods. The described procedure can be successfully applied for the evaluation of the oxygen mobility/availability and storage potential of other perovskite-type materials.