Characterization of CeO2 crystals synthesized with different amino acids

We investigated the relationship between the structures of the CeO2 products (particle size, morphology and their characteristics) prepared using different amino acids. Cerium hydroxide carbonate precursors were initially prepared by a hydrothermal method and were subsequently converted to CeO2 by its thermal decomposition. Various amino acids were used as structure-directing agents in the presence of cerium nitrate and urea as precursors. The results indicate morphology selectivity using different amino acids; CeO2 structures, such as quasi-prism-sphere, straw-bundle, urchin-flower like and polyhedron prisms, indeed could be produced. Raman and photoluminescence studies indicate the presence of oxygen vacancies in the CeO2 samples. Photoluminescence spectra of CeO2 with l-Valine exhibit stronger emission compared with other amino acids utilized under this study, indicating the higher degree of defects in these particles. This study clearly indicates that the degree of defects varied in the presence of different amino acids. Improved precision to control the crystal morphology is important in various material applications and our study provides a novel method to achieve this specificity.