Morphology of nanoscaled LaMO3-particles (M=Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) derived by citrate precursors in aqueous and alcoholic solvents

LaMO₃-type perovskites are promising ceramic materials used as electrode materials in fuel cells or as the catalytic active component in motorcar exhaust catalysts. In this work we present a systematic study on the morphology of LaMO₃-perovskites containing late 3d-transition metals prepared by thermal decomposition of the corresponding citrate precursors at the lowest possible temperature. The calcination temperature was determined by thermogravimetric analysis and XRD. The specific surface areas as well as the particle morphologies of the perovskite powders are investigated by SEM and compared with Brunauer-Emett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements. The effect of the solvent, which was used for the precursor synthesis as well as the citrate stochiometry on the nanoparticle morphology will be taken into evaluation.