A crystal structure analysis and magnetic investigation on highly ordered mesoporous Cr₂O₃

A series of highly ordered mesoporous Cr₂O₃ were prepared through the nanocasting pathway from decomposition of chromium(VI) oxide using KIT-6 as a hard template. The effects of the calcination temperature on the crystal structure, textural parameters and magnetic properties of the material were investigated. It was found that with increasing calcination temperature, surface area and pore volume of the mesoporous Cr₂O₃ decreased slightly. Unpredictably, increasing calcination temperature also influences the lattice parameters of the Cr₂O₃ crystal, and this rearrangement in the lattice parameter leads to changes in the value of the Néel temperature. A spin-flop transition has been observed at a magnetic field smaller than that of bulk material