A non-thermal route to oxide nanocomposites by mechanochemical redox reactions

Chemical reduction-oxidation (redox) processes induced by mechanical treatment represent an important class of solid-state reactions. In the present work, selected examples are presented of the preparation of nanocomposites by mechanochemical redox reactions, starting from simple binary or complex ternary oxides. The important impact of the work, from the methodology point of view, is the application of 57Fe and 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopies to the study of the mechanically induced formation of Fe- and Sn-containing composites. In addition, the obtained nanocomposites are characterised by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It is demonstrated that the event of mechanically induced redox reactions presents novel opportunities for the non-thermal manipulation of materials and provides a promising field for future fundamental as well as applied research.