Synthesis and conductivity of cerium oxide nanoparticles

Cerium oxide (CeO₂) nanoparticles have been synthesized through composite-hydroxide-mediated approach. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) measurement proved that the pure cubic CeO₂ could be obtained at a low temperature region (170-220 °C). The particle size, micrograph morphology and microstructure were investigated by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). The conductivity of as-synthesized CeO₂ was measured by a standard four-probe method. The conductivity of CeO₂ increases slightly with the increase of temperature. And the conductivity increases rapidly to 0.02418 s cm^− 1 at 830 °C. The product is a potential material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (ITSOFC).