Utilization of waste biomass and replacement of stoichiometric reagents for the synthesis of nanocrystalline CeO2, ZrO2 and CeO2–ZrO2

Abstract

Nanocrystalline CeO₂, ZrO₂ and CeO₂–ZrO₂ with various Ce, Zr compositions (1∶1, 1∶2, and 2∶1) have been prepared and characterized. The preparation method demonstrates the replacement of stoichiometric reagents and utilization of waste biomass for an important class of metal oxides useful for various applications. Physico-chemical characterization studies including HRTEM analysis for the representative samples showed the presence of CeO₂ with particle size 5–10 nm, ZrO₂ with particle size 5–10 nm and Ce_0.5 Zr_0.5O₂ particles in the range 5–10 nm. EDS analysis confirmed the particles to be in cubic phase.