Immobilization of ceria nanoparticles by formation of CeO2/SiO2 composites

Cerium dioxide nanoparticles are widely used in different branches, especially for its strong catalytic properties. Ceria nanoparticles used in this work were prepared via a simple and fast precipitation reaction of cerium (IV) sulfate and ammonia. Such prepared nanoparticles showed a relatively uniform crystallite size of about 2 nm. This contribution deals with immobilization techniques of ceria nanoparticles, using TEOS as SiO2 precursor, leading to the formation of CeO2/SiO2 composites. Prepared composites were characterized using primarily SEM and EDS. Additionally, the catalytic activity of such prepared composites was tested on a 2,4,6-TCP aqueous solution and crystallite sizes of ceria nanoparticles were evaluated using the Scherrer equation after the XRD measurements.