Synthesis of nanocrystalline CeAlO3 by solution-combustion route

CeAlO3 was synthesised by a modified solution-combustion route using a mixture of urea and glycine as fuel. A trivalent oxidation state of cerium was stabilised and high-quality single phase polycrystalline CeAlO3 was obtained by optimising the ratio of fuels. The transmission electron micrography and powder X-ray diffraction investigations showed that the particles were nanocrystalline in nature. Rietveld refinement confirmed the space group of the structure to be I4/mcmI4/mcm with lattice parameters a=5.3278(1)a=5.3278(1) Å, c=7.5717(3)c=7.5717(3) Å. Magnetisation measurements indicated that the sample was paramagnetic up to 2 K. The susceptibility data fitted the Curie–Weiss model in the temperature range 100–300 K with θp=−40θp=−40 K. The value of μeff=2.2μBμeff=2.2μB was close to that expected for a Ce3+ ion. The magnetic properties were comparable to that reported for single crystals indicating the high quality of CeAlO3 prepared in the present work. The semiconducting band gap as estimated from UV–visible spectroscopy was 3.26 eV.