Controlled synthesis of CeO2 nanorods by a solvothermal method

Abstract

Pure phase CeO2 nanorods (about 40–50 nm in diameter and0.3–2 µm in length) were synthesized through a solvothermal synthesismethod. The addition of ethylenediamine is critical to obtainCeO2 nanorods. Other experimental conditions, such as the solvent composition, surfactant andthe cerium source precursor were of importance in the final product morphology. Thereaction temperature and reaction time also had significant influence on the yield ofCeO2 nanorods. A possible formation mechanism ofCeO2 nanorods was discussed mainly based on the dependences of controllingparameters on the final morphologies. In addition, the optical properties ofCeO2 nanorods were investigated. The UV–visible adsorption spectrum and photoluminescence spectrum ofthe CeO2 nanorods showed unusual red-shift and enhanced light emission, respectively.