Exploring the Influence of Synthesis Parameters on the Optical Properties for Various CeO NPs.

Cerium oxide (CeO) nanoparticles were synthesized with a chemical precipitation method in different experimental conditions using cerium nitrate hexahydrate (Ce(NO)·6HO) as a precursor, modifying the solution pH, the reaction time, and Co atoms as dopants, in order to tune the band gap energy values of the prepared samples. The physical characteristics of the synthesized ceria nanoparticles were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis analyses and photoluminescence measurements. XRD data revealed a pure cubic fluorite structure of CeO NPs, the estimation of crystallite sizes by Scherrer's formula indicates the formation of crystals with dimensions between 11.