Preparation of Ceria Nanoparticles by Precipitation Method and Investigation of their Defect Characteristics

Ceria nanoparticles were synthesised by the simple precipitation method without any additional heat treatment at high temperatures. The synthesis involved initially the formation of cerium hydroxide by precipitation of cerium... [ view full abstract ]

Ceria nanoparticles were synthesised by the simple precipitation method without any additional heat treatment at high temperatures. The synthesis involved initially the formation of cerium hydroxide by precipitation of cerium nitrate with sodium hydroxide.  The effect of parameters such as the reaction temperature, time of reactions, and the volume of the solutions were studied.  The reaction temperature was varied from 30°C to 90°C and the volume of the reaction solution was varied from 20 mL to 80 mL.  X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) were used to analyse the crystallinity and morphology of the samples.  The average size of the particles was ~ 5 nm and the particles were of a mixed morphology (octahedral and rod shapes).  Laser Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were conducted to determine the characteristics and volumes of the defect sites on the surface of the particles.