Effect of synthesis conditions on properties of nanocrystalline cerium oxide prepared via hydrothermal method

LARRONDO SUSANA A.; SUAREZ ANZORENA, MARÍA DEL ROSARIO; MUÑOZ, FERNANDO F.

Santa Fe, Santa Fe

Conferencia; VI San Luis Conference on Surfaces, Interfaces and Catalysis; 2018

INTEC (CONICET-UNL) y Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)- Brookhaven National Laboratory(LBNL)

Nanomaterial development has gained great interest due to its outstanding physicochemical properties governed by the greater presence of grain edges. Among them, nanocrystalline cerium oxide have attracted a lot of interest for its oxygen storage capacity (OSC). This ability to exchange oxygen with its surroundings gives this oxide extraordinary catalytic properties. Cerium oxide has many other applications as electrolyte and electrode material in Soli Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), as gas sensors, as active material in electrochemical ceramic reactors, as a photocatalyst in the UV-visible region, etc. These applications focus on the large number of defects that can be accommodated in the grain edges of the nanocrystalline CeO2, obtaining substantial modifications of its physicochemical properties. In this work CeO2 nanopowders were prepared via hydrothermal method with different synthesis conditions using (NH2)CO(NH2) (urea), Ce(NO3)3 and (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6 as reactants. Time of reaction, temperature, cerium oxidation state molar ratio (Ce3+/Ce4+) and U(urea)/Ce3+ molar ratio were varied to analyze their effect on samples morphology, lattice parameter and crystallite size.