Effects of different precursors on size and optical properties of ceria nanoparticles prepared by microwave-assisted method

Cerium oxide, ceria (CeO2), is one of the favourable nanoparticles (NPs) that possesses many remarkable properties so that it can be used in medicine, chemistry, environment, energy, information, industry, and so on. In this study, the crystalline ceria NPs were successfully prepared by an efficient microwave-assisted heating technique from an aqueous solution using different cerium salts (Ce(IV) and Ce(III) salts). The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The results revealed that changing the precursor led to great effects on size, band gap energy, and the reaction time of preparing the ceria NPs. The significant feature of this manuscript is that the effects of different precursors on the structural and optical properties of ceria NPs were investigated for the first time. The average particle size of different samples was below 8 nm.

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► A rapid and efficient microwave method was applied for synthesis of nano ceria.
► Changing precursor has great effects on optical properties and size of nano ceria.
► Fabrication of ceria nanoparticles using Ce4+ salts leads to better results.
► Band gap energies of ceria nanoparticles were evaluated by UV-vis spectroscopy.