Structural changes in nanostructured catalytic oxides monitored by Raman spectroscopy: Effect of the laser heating

The laser power effects on the structural properties of nanostructured oxides were studied by Raman spectroscopy. The nanostructured CeO2, ZrO2, SnO2, TiO2 and MnO oxides were prepared by a nanocasting route and characterized through various physicochemical techniques. The structural features of the solids were accompanied by varying the incident laser power from 2.0 to 9.1 mW. The laser caused local heating on the surface of the nanostructured solids and influenced on their particle sizes. The CeO2, TiO2 and MnO spectra exhibited particle size changes due to thermal effects. Elevated laser power up to 9.1 mW accelerated the sintering of CeO2, TiO2 and MnOx particles in contrast to SnO2 counterparts. Simultaneously, the creation of defects in the aforesaid oxide structures was suggested upon increasing the laser power from 2.0 to 9.1 mW. The phase transformation from MnO-related phases to alpha-Mn2O3 and the oxidation of these phases were observed. Tetragonal ZrO2 showed a very stable structure under laser heating, envisaging further catalytic applications upon using mild laser power.