Nanostructured materials generated by high-intensity ultrasound: Sonochemical synthesis and catalytic studies

The sonochemical decomposition of volatile organometallic compounds produces high surface area solids that consist of agglomerates of nanometer clusters. For iron pentacarbonyl and tricarbonylnitrosylcobalt, nanostructured metals and alloys are formed; for molybdenum hexacarbonyl, the metal carbide is produced. These sonochemically produced nanostructured solids are active heterogeneous catalysts for hydrocarbon re-forming and CO hydrogenation. The sonochemical synthesis, characterization, and catalytic studies will be discussed in this review.