Parameters dependent studies of structural, optical and electrical properties of CeO2 nanoparticles prepared via facile one-pot hydrothermal technique

Cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles have exceptional optical and electronic properties due to the presence of unfilled 4f orbitals in CeO2. CeO2 nanocrystals have been used in semiconductor devices due to their high thermal and chemical stability. In this work, CeO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by a facile one-pot hydrothermal technique under various experimental conditions. The effects of various process parameters on optical, structural and electrical properties of the CeO2 nanoparticles were systematically studied. The morphology, composition and the structure of the CeO2 powders were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The XRD pattern advocated that the synthesized cerium oxide nanoparticles exhibited a cubic fluorite structure. The average crystallite size estimated from the XRD peak width was 6-11 nm for the majority of the samples. The zeta sizer nano series analyzer provided a precise image of particle size distribution with a maximum at around 147.7 nm. The optical band gaps estimated from the diffused reflectance results were from 3.08 eV to 3.18 eV. A systematic variation in the photoluminescence intensity with a change in the crystallite sizes of CeO2 nanoparticles was observed. The variation of electrical property of CeO2 nanoparticles with a change in process parameters was analytically discussed.