Nanocrystalline LaCoO3 perovskite particles confined in SBA-15 silica as a new efficient catalyst for hydrocarbon oxidation

Highly crystalline LaCoO3 perovskite particles were prepared by a novel microwave-assisted process with a La–Co citrate complex precursor in the host pores of mesoporous SBA-15 silica. The resulting material exhibited considerably higher catalytic activity in the complete methane oxidation than a LaCoO3/SBA-15 sample prepared by a conventional method with a bulk LaCoO3 perovskite. This suggests that a higher density of lattice defects achieved on the high-surface-area LaCoO3 nanocrystals synthesized by microwave processing is essential for the superior performance of the catalyst.