Hydrothermal Synthesis of Cerium(IV) Oxide

CeO₂ powders have been prepared from cerium(III) nitrate, cerium(IV) sulfate, and cerium(IV) ammonium sulfate under hydrothermal conditions at 120° to 200°C for 5 to 40 h. The effects of the starting cerium compounds, hydrothermal treatment temperature, and the concentration of the solutions on the crystal growth of CeO₂ were investigated. CeO₂ powders hydrothermally synthesized at 180°C for 5 h from cerium(IV) salts had very fine particle sizes (30 Å); on the other hand, the powder from the cerium(III) salt had a relatively coarse particle size (160 Å). Although the crystallite size of the powder synthesized from the cerium(IV) compounds depended on the treatment temperature, that from the cerium(III) compound was insensitive to the treatment temperature. The mechanisms for the growth of CeO₂ particles under hydrothermal conditions are discussed.