Nanostructured Ce1−xZrxO2 solid solutions produced by mechanochemical processing

► The Ce1−xZrxO2 solid solutions (x ≤ 0.2) are synthesized by mechanochemical processing. ► The synthesis mechanism involves in-situ CeO2 and amorphous ZrO2 formation. ► The Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 solid solution obtained has high surface area and nanometric grains. ► Addition of an extra amount of NaCl during milling hinders Ce1−xZrxO2 formation. ► NaCl removal previous to calcination improves textural/microstructural Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 features.