Characterization of CuCr2O4 composite obtained by solution combustion synthesis

ABSTRACT CuCr2O4 material was subjected to solution combustion synthesis and heat-treated in the range of 600 to 1100oC in order to analyze its phase evolution. The structure and morphology of the composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinement, field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), while its sintering behavior was analyzed by dilatometry. The XRD patterns revealed the formation of pure phase copper chromite in the range of 700-1000°C, which was confirmed by Rietveld refinement. This pure phase copper chromite exhibited a regular polyhedral shaped morphology. The dilatometric analysis indicated that the composite underwent thermal expansion followed by shrinkage, which were attributed to structural changes in the material.