EXAMINING THE CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE OF NANOCERIA

Abstract

Mixed-valence cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) have gained significant attention due to their strong redox properties, which make them useful in a wide range of biomedical and industrial applications. However, the process of controlling the ratio of Ce3+ to Ce4+ in nanoceria, which is critical for many applications, is not well understood. In this ongoing study, nanoceria with specific Ce3+/Ce4+ ratios were created and extracted from a soluble borate glass by adjusting glass-melting parameters. The glass was heat treated to grow these nanocrystals and observe the crystalline structure. The extracted nanoceria were analyzed through XRD to determine the crystalline structures. Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman spectroscopies were used to observe the structure of both the nanoceria and nanoceria-embedded glass. Further, the Transmission Electron Spectroscopy was used to observe the lattice structures of the nanoceria with coexisting valence states