Two decades of ceria nanoparticle research: structure, properties and emerging applications

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeNPs) are versatile materials with unique and unusual properties that vary depending on their surface chemistry, size, shape, coating, oxidation states, crystallinity, dopant, and structural and surface defects. This review encompasses advances made over the past twenty years in the development of CeNPs and ceria-based nanostructures, the structural determinants affecting their activity, and translation of these distinct features into applications. The two oxidation states of nanosized CeNPs (Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺) coexisting at the nanoscale level facilitate the formation of oxygen vacancies and defect states, which confer extremely high reactivity and oxygen buffering capacity and the ability to act as catalysts for oxidation and reduction reactions. However, the method of synthesis, surface functionalization, surface coating and defects are important factors in determining their properties. This review highlights key properties of CeNPs, their synthesis, interactions, and reaction pathways and provides examples of emerging applications. Due to their unique properties, CeNPs have become quintessential candidates for catalysis, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), sensing, biomedical applications, and environmental remediation, with tremendous potential to create novel products and translational innovations in a wide range of industries. This review highlights the timely relevance and the transformative potential of these materials in addressing societal challenges and driving technological advancements across these fields.