Method for the use of slurries in spray pyrolysis for the production of non-hollow, porous particles

A process for preparing a metal oxide-containing powder, the process comprising conducting spray pyrolysis that comprises:

• (a) aerosolizing a slurry that comprises solid-phase particles in a precursor solution to form droplets that comprise the precursor solution and one or more of the solid-phase particles, wherein (i) the solid-phase particles have a mean size that is in a range of about 10 nm and 50 μm, and (ii) the precursor solution comprises at least one precursor compound dissolved or suspended in a solvent, wherein the at least one precursor compound comprises one or more metallic elements of at least one metal oxide, and (iii) the slurry has a total mass fraction of solid-phase particles to metal oxide-containing powder that is in a range of about 2% to about 75%;
• (b) evaporating the solvent in the droplets to form dried droplets that comprise the at least one precursor compound and one or more solid-phase particles;
• and
• (c) calcining the dried droplets to at least partially decompose the at least one precursor compound and form the metal oxide-containing powder, wherein the metal oxide-containing powder comprises product particles that comprise the at least one metal oxide, wherein the product particles have (i) a mean size that is in a range of about 100 nm to about 500 μm and (ii) a mean hollowness, which is less than a mean hollowness of particles of about the same mean size prepared by an otherwise identical spray pyrolysis process conducted except for the absence of seed particles in the aerosol.