Preparation of nano-Cr2−xAlxO3 (x = 0–1) solid solution powders by using citrate-dispersant method

A series of nano-Cr2−xAlxO3 (x = 0–1) solid solution powders were prepared by sol–gel-chelating processing with citrate-dispersant method. The crystalline structure and size of the Cr2−xAlxO3 powders were determined by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It was demonstrated that the crystalline size of the Cr2−xAlxO3 powders decreases from 33 nm to 13 nm with an increase in the amount of Al2O3 substitution. The aluminum in the lattice of the Cr2−xAlxO3 can effectively prevent the crystalline growth of the Cr2−xAlxO3 powders during calcining at higher temperature.