Rare-earth (Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd and Y) enhanced CeO2 solid solution nanorods prepared by co-precipitation without surfactants

Rare-earth doped CeO2 solid solution nanorods were successfully prepared via a simple co-precipitation method without surfactants at room temperature and pressure. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of the doping contents, pH values, aging times and the precipitation agents on the structure and morphology were investigated. We found that the yield and uniformity of the nanorods were significantly improved by doping with optimum contents of Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd or Y. The intrinsically anisotropic structure of the rare-earth hydroxides is the driving force for the growth of the nanorods. Raman spectra show a great increase in oxygen vacancy concentrations on the doped CeO2 solid solutions compared with that of pure CeO2.