Novel Chemical Synthesis and Characterization of CeTi2O6 Brannerite

Cerium titanate CeTi2O6 was prepared by a new soft chemistry route in aqueous solution. A suite of characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, vibrational spectroscopy, and scanning and transmission electron spectroscopy, were employed to investigate the brannerite structure formation and its bulk properties. The synthesized powder formed the brannerite crystal structure upon calcination at temperatures as low as 800 degrees C. Samples sintered at 1350 degrees C possess a high level of crystallinity. X-ray absorption near-edge structure results indicate the presence of six-coordinated Ce4+ in the brannerite samples.