Imaging the Atomic Surface Structures of CeO<sub>2</sub> Nanoparticles
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Abstract
Atomic
surface structures of CeO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles are
under debate owing to the lack of clear experimental determination
of the oxygen atom positions. In this study, with oxygen atoms clearly
observed using aberration-corrected high-resolution electron microscopy,
we determined the atomic structures of the (100), (110), and (111)
surfaces of CeO<sub>2</sub> nanocubes. The predominantly exposed (100)
surface has a mixture of Ce, O, and reduced CeO terminations, underscoring
the complex structures of this polar surface that previously was often
oversimplified. The (110) surface shows “sawtooth-like”
(111) nanofacets and flat CeO<sub>2–<i>x</i></sub> terminations with oxygen vacancies. The (111) surface has an O termination.
These findings can be extended to the surfaces of differently shaped
CeO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles and provide insight about face-selective
catalysis