Synthesis and Conductivity of Nano Crystalline Ceria

Nanoparticles of cerium oxide were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. Synthesis conditions were optimized for phase purity, particularly the effect of pH (=14,13,11) of solutions during reaction, was studied. The phase analysis and structural properties of the prepared particles were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The average crystallite size decreased with the increase in pH of solution. The temperature-dependent DC conductivity was measured in the temperature range 300 °C to 700 °C and was found to be increasing with the increase in measurement temperature. AC conductivity and dielectric constants were measured in the frequency range of 1 kHz to 3 MHz and also at different temperatures.