Controlled hydrothermal synthesis and excellent optical properties of two different kinds of CeO_2 nanocubes

摘要

The CeO_2 nanocubes have been successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman scattering and photoluminescence spectra were employed to characterize the samples. The results showed that the CeO_2 nanocubes have a cubic fluorite structure and the rugged CeO_2 nanocubes with an edge length of about 200 nm transformed into smooth one with an edge length of about 70 nm with the change of the surfactant. XPS and Raman analyses indicate that there are Ce~(3+) ions and oxygen vacancies in the surface of samples. Both of nanocubes exhibit similar emission peaks of photoluminescence at room temperature and the emission intensity increases with the increase of the concentration of oxygen vacancies.