Synthesis and characterization of C14TAB passivated cerium oxide nanoparticles prepared by co-precipitation route

A facile co-precipitation route has been employed to synthesize cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles using cationic surfactant (tetradecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, C14TAB) and cerium nitrate hexahydrate at room temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV–vis spectrophotometer and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) were employed to characterize the as-prepared sample. The XRD pattern showed cubic fluorite structure of CeO2 without any impurity peaks, revealing high purity of the sample. The lattice strain experienced by the sample was analyzed using Williamson-Hall plot. FTIR studies confirmed the presence of C14TAB on the CeO2 nanoparticles. TEM revealed that the as-prepared CeO2 sample consists of uniform particles with particle size of 10 nm. The red shift phenomenon was observed in UV–vis spectrum, which was further supported by PL studies.