Influence of the sol-gel synthesis on the formation of spinel MgAl2O4

Spinel precursors have been obtained by sol-gel processing using either magnesium nitrate and chemically modified aluminum alkoxide or a double alkoxide as raw materials. The xerogels have been characterized by differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is proposed that the size of the particles is related to the functionality of the aluminum alkoxide. The use of the double alkoxide allowed pure spinel nanosized materials to be obtained.