Preparation of Y-doped mesoporous CeO2 by sol-gel process

Mesoporous CeO2 and Y-doped CeO2 (YDC) with a cubic fluorite structure were successfully synthesized with a sol-gel method by using cerium (III) nitrate hexahydrate and yttrium chloride as precursors and triblock copolymer as the template. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms have been used to characterize the mesoporous structure. N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherms showed that the samples possessed typical mesopore characteristics. The BET specific surface area of the samples increased from 23.04 to 151.49 m(2)/g for 300 degrees C calcination after mesoporous CeO2 was doped with 10 mol% Y. It is found that the introduction of Y can inhibit the grain growth, and the presence of the pores also can be related to this obstacle to grain growth. These results are of great significance for the control of porous microstructure, crystallinity, and applications for the development of nanostructured mesoporous materials.