Structural properties of nanostructured Ce-Zr mixed oxides synthesized by different routes: nanopowders and nanotubes

LEANDRO M. ACUÑA; DIEGO G. LAMAS; RODOLFO O. FUENTES

Campinas

Encuentro; RAU 19; 2009

LNLS-CNPEM

Substitutional solid solutions of ZrO2 and CeO2 have attracted  much interest in recent years because of their extensive use in a number of different fields, for example, as active supports or oxygen buffers in three-way catalysts. Since ZrO2-CeO2 solid solutions have been demonstrated to have  better catalytic properties than pure CeO2, they may also have  properties that make them attractive for application as hydrocarbon reforming or hydrocarbon activation catalysts in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). In the present work, nanocrystalline ZrO2-CeO2 solid solutions  of general formula ZrxCe1¡xO2, where x = 0.1, 0.30,  0.35 and 0.5 (and where any non-stoichiometry in Oxygen is ignored), were synthesized using three different chemical methods: cation complexation, gel-combustion and template-filled. The resulting powders were characterized by employing Synchrotron-radiation X-ray Diffraction (SRXRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).