2 research outputs found
Anion (Fluoride)-Doped Ceria Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization, and Its Catalytic Application to Oxidative Coupling of Benzylamines
Fluoride
doping in the CeO<sub>2</sub> lattice has been achieved
by a simple, reliable, reproducible, and safe solution-based method.
F-containing CeO<sub>2</sub> has retained the fluorite structure,
and its effect has been confirmed from various analytical techniques
such as powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform IR, Raman, UV–visible
diffuse reflectance, photoluminescence (PL), and X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive
X-ray (EDX) and transmission electron microscopy–EDX analysis.
The concentration of fluoride in the CeO<sub>2</sub> lattice has been
determined from chemical analysis and core-level XPS analysis. The
concentration of Ce<sup>3+</sup> in the F-doped and undoped CeO<sub>2</sub> samples have been determined both from XPS analysis as well
as from variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements.
The characteristic Ce<sup>3+</sup> emission in the PL spectrum indicated
the increase of Ce<sup>3+</sup> ion concentration in the F-doped sample,
conforming to the results from XPS and magnetic measurements. F-doped
CeO<sub>2</sub> nanocrystals showed moderate monodispersity as determined
from particle-size measurements using dynamic light scattering experiments
and high surface area of 106.1 m<sup>2</sup>/g. Optical band gap of
CeO<sub>2</sub> has narrowed upon doping with fluoride ions from 3.05
to 2.95 eV. The formation of extrinsic oxygen vacancy complexes upon
F-doping has been observed in the Raman spectrum (at 1097 cm<sup>–1</sup>) in addition to fingerprint bands of CeO<sub>2</sub>. The UV-shielding
property and photocatalytic inactivity toward aqueous dye degradation
process of F-doped CeO<sub>2</sub> has suggested its potential use
in cosmetic applications. Both F-doped CeO<sub>2</sub> and CeO<sub>2</sub> have been used as catalysts for oxidative coupling of benzylamines
to imines in the presence of molecular oxygen under solvent-free conditions.
F-doped CeO<sub>2</sub> exhibited better catalytic efficiency than
CeO<sub>2</sub>. The oxidation procedure using these catalysts is
simple, environmentally benign, and solvent-free, and the catalysts
are reusable