Role of trivalent La and Nd dopants in lattice distortion and oxygen vacancy generation in cerium oxide nanoparticles

Nanocrystalline Ce1-xRExO2-y (RE=La and Nd) powders were synthesized with a controlled size in the range of 3-5 nm using microemulsion technique. The nanoceria retains its cubic fluorite structures for the complete doping range. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic studies showed that the lattice distortion increased with the doping amount and was found to be higher for La-doped samples compared to the Nd doping. Spatial correlation model used for Raman analysis suggested increased defect concentration for the doped samples compared to nanoceria.