Sintered metal oxide articles and methods of making

Methods of making metal oxide articles, preferably iron oxide articles, and articles thereby produced. The method comprises the steps of slightly pressing powder to a compact, the powder consisting essentially of a first oxide of the metal; and subjecting the compact to a heat treatment that causes the powder to sinter into a unitary body and results in the transformation of at least a portion of the first oxide to a second oxide by oxidation or deoxidation during the heat treatment. In disclosed embodiments, the heat treatment is conducted either in air at atmospheric pressure or at a subatmospheric pressure. The method optionally includes more heating/cooling steps resulting in additional oxidation/deoxidation cycles. Sintered iron oxide articles of the invention have high mechanical strengths and interconnected pore structures, providing for efficient filtering of liquids and gases.