Nucleation and Growth of CeF3 and NaCeF4 Nanocrystals

Monodisperse CeF3 and NaCeF4 nanocrystals have been synthesized by using the liquid-solid-solution (LSS) approach. The nucleation and growth of nanocrystalline CeF3 and NaCeF4 were controlled by both kinetics and thermodynamics, which can be investigated by the diffusion-controlled kinetic (DCK) model and surface chemical thermodynamics (SCT) theory. The DCK and SCT models were introduced to explain how the ripening time, reaction temperature, and initial concentrations affected the size transition of CeF3 and NaCeF4 nanocrystals in detail. Also, these models are believed to be universal and can be applied to explore the morphology evolution of almost all rare-earth fluoride nanocrystals.