Single-Crystalline CeOHCO3 with Rhombic Morphology: Synthesis and Thermal Conversion to CeO2

Single-crystalline CeOHCO3 rhombic micro-plates with an orthorhombic structure were synthesized by the precipitation reaction between (NH4)(2)Ce(NO3)(6) and CO(NH)(2) in the presence of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS). Polycrystalline CeO2 rhombic micro-plates were prepared by thermal decomposition of single-crystalline CeOHCO3 rhombic micro-plates at 600 degrees C in air. CeOHCO3 and CeO2 rhombic micro-plates were characterized by XRD, filed-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), TEM, and XPS. The results indicate that APS plays an important role in the preparation of single-crystalline CeOHCO3 rhombic micro-plates because the CeO2 is produced without APS. In addition, the rhombic shape of the products is not ruined apparently by the thermal conversion process from CeOHCO3 to CeO2.