Monolithic CuO–NiO aerogels via an epoxide addition route

Abstract In this report we demonstrate the synthesis of monolithic mixed copper(II)–nickel(II) (Cu–Ni) oxide aerogels using the epoxide addition method. This single step synthetic method provides a straightforward route to synthesize highly porous CuO–NiO materials composed of nanometer sized particles. Control of the particle size and gel morphology is achieved by simple changes in the initial synthetic conditions. The as-synthesized Cu–Ni aerogels were identified as being highly amorphous with the crystalline species identified as a copper/nickel chloride hydroxide. Calcination of the aerogel materials at relatively low temperatures resulted in a complete phase transition of the material to give the CuO–NiO aerogel. The aerogels were characterized by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nitrogen adsorption/desorption techniques (BET). The as-synthesized Cu–Ni aerogels are highly porous and exhibited high surface areas (∼ 400 m2/g).