Effect of Cerium Oxide Nanostructures on CO Oxidation

Cerium oxide particles with different morphologies, namely nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanocubes, and rice grains have been prepared by simple chemical routes. The shape and size of the synthesized morphologies have been studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques have been used to determine their crystal phases. Both nanoparticles and nanocubes of cerium oxide exclusively crystallize in fluorite structure of CeO₂ as observed in XRD patterns, whereas nanofibers and rice grains are characterized by the presence of CeO₂, Ce₂O₃, and Ce(OH)₃ phases. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been employed to evaluate Ce species present in the different cerium oxide morphologies and to estimate their relative surface concentrations. As evident from Ce 3d core level spectra cerium oxide nanoparticles and nanocubes are basically CeO₂ having Ce in the +4 oxidation state along with some amount of Ce³⁺ species. In contrast, Ce is in +3 oxidation state on its surface in cerium oxide nanofibers and rice grains that contain intermediate phases like Ce₂O₃ and Ce(OH)₃ as endorsed by XRD patterns. CO oxidation has been carried out over these cerium oxide morphologies and among all morphologies lowest temperature CO oxidation has been demonstrated by the nanocube morphology.