Mechanistic insights into the acetate-accelerated synthesis of crystalline ceria nanoparticles

Authors

Tamra J Fisher, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Deepa Choudhry, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Kaitlynn Derr, Missouri Western State University
Soodabeh Azadehranjbar, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Dan Stasko, Missouri Western State University
Chin Li Cheung, University of Nebraska at LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

Tamra J. Fisher http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1777-3547

Deepa Choudhry http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1063-0164

Chin Li Cheung http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8210-2833

Date of this Version

2020

Citation

RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 20515

DOI: 10.1039/d0ra02309d

Comments

CC-BY-NC

Abstract

Recent increasing uses of ceria in research and industrial applications have fostered continuing developments of efficient routes to synthesize the material. Here we report our investigation of the effects and the mechanistic roles of lithium acetate to accelerate the growth of crystalline ceria nanoparticles in ozone-mediated synthesis. By increasing the mole ratio of the acetate to cerium nitrate in the reactions, the reaction yields of ceria nanoparticles were observed to increase from ca. 10% to up to over 90% by cerium content in 30 min reactions. Microscopy images and Raman spectra of the assynthesized nanoparticles revealed that increasing the acetate additions led to a decrease in average particle size and size range but an increase in crystallinity. Through analyzing the organic by-products in the reaction mixtures, the acetate was inferred to base-catalyze the formation of acetals and cerium complexes and accelerate the formation of Ce–O–Ce bonds and hence the growth of ceria nanoparticles through alcohol-like condensation reactions.