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Nitrous oxide serves as a green propellant for space applications; however, an active and stable catalyst is required for its decomposition. A new class of material (X-type hexaferrites) was tested for this reaction for the first time. The catalysts were prepared by a co-precipitation method and a pure single hexagonal phase was confirmed by XRD and SEM. The developed pure and doped catalysts were found to be catalytically active for nitrous oxide decomposition reaction and the activity increased with increasing dopant content.However, Cr-Mn co-doped materials showed higher catalytic activity than Mn-doped samples. The cationic substitution and surface defects (oxygen vacancies) were found to be responsible for the upsurge of activity. The desired stability of the developed catalyst added to its potential for applicability.

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