Facile 1,4-dioxane-assisted solvothermal synthesis, optical and electrochemical properties of CeO2 microspheres

• CeO2 microspheres were prepared by 1,4-dioxane-assisted solvothermal route.
• 1,4-Dioxane acts as capping agent in forming CeO2 microspheres for the first time.
• CeO2 microspheres show the strong UV–vis absorption.
• CeO2 microspheres reveal excellent biocompatibility.

CeO2 microspheres, with an average diameter of 1 μm, have been successfully prepared through a facile 1,4-dioxane-assisted solvothermal synthesis, where 1,4-dioxane is acted as a capping agent for the first time. By varying the solvent ratio, the formation mechanism for the CeO2 microspheres has been proposed on an isotropic growth through the capping function of 1,4-dioxane. The strong UV–vis spectra result indicates that the CeO2 microspheres are suitable as an UV blocking and shielding material. The cyclic voltammetric measurements of hemoglobin immobilized on CeO2-Nafion modified glassy carbon electrode reveal a typical characteristic of surface-controlled thin-layer electrochemical behavior of the CeO2 microspheres.

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