Resorcinol–formaldehyde gel method to synthesize porous Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 nanoparticles

We report a novel resorcinol–formaldehyde sol–gel (RF) method to prepare samarium-doped ceria (SDC). The synthesized SDC powders exhibit cotton-like micro-morphology with nanosized pores. The structure is composed of interconnected nanoparticles with average particle size of 4.3 nm and remarkably uniform size distribution. The nanoparticles are softly aggregated with Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area as high as 78 m2/g after being calcined at 500 °C.

► A novel resorcinol–formaldehyde sol–gel (RF) method to synthesize nano‐SDC
► The average particle size is 4.3 nm and size distribution is remarkably uniform.
► The nanoparticles are softly aggregated with cotton-like micro-morphology.
► BET surface area reaches 78 m2/g at calcination temperature of 500 °C.