A facile and quick solvothermal synthesis of 3D microflower CeO2 and Gd:CeO2 under subcritical and supercritical conditions for catalytic applications

A facile and quick synthesis via solvothermal reaction under subcritical and supercritical temperatures using ethylene glycol media was developed to synthesize three dimensional (3D) flower-like CeO2 and 5 mol-% Gd3+-doped CeO2 (Gd:CeO2). The flower-like particles are 5-10 mu m in diameter and are actually constructed by the arrangement of nanopetals 20-40 nm in diameter. Flower-like CeO2 and Gd:CeO2 exhibited interesting UV-shielding and visiblelight scattering properties and higher CO oxidation catalytic activity compared to commercial CeO2 powders. These materials could find potential applications as UV blocking materials and CO removal catalysts.