Carbonate materials synthesis using molten salt templates

Advanced high-performance functional materials rely on their specific morphological structures designed by template method. However, the current template methods suffer from the complex template-removal process. The molten salts have an ability to dissolve some specific materials and could be easily removed by water. Thus, the molten salts could be employed as a not only solvent but also template. Herein, the Na 2 CO 3 –K 2 CO 3 and NaCl–KCl molten salts were employed as both solvents and templates to synthesize the carbonates (CaCO 3 , BaCO 3 , or SrCO 3 ) with diverse morphologies. And then the carbonates, which are soluble in molten salts and insoluble in water, were added into the high-temperature molten salt to form a homogeneous liquid phase. Subsequently, the molten salts templates can be easily removed in water after solidification. After removing the templates, the carbonates with fine particles and strip-shaped belts could be obtained in Na 2 CO 3 –K 2 CO 3 and NaCl–KCl molten salt, respectively, indicating that the different molten salts have diverse template effects. Overall, molten salts are a promising soft and water-soluble template for materials’ structural design.