Supercritical growth: The formation and evolution of ceria nanoparticles during hydrothermal synthesis was investigated by in situ total scattering and powder diffraction. The nucleation of pristine crystalline ceria nanoparticles originated from previously unknown cerium dimer complexes. The nanoparticle growth was highly accelerated under supercritical conditions.

cerium oxide (ceria) nano particle, as photodegradation prevention agent was studied in water-based polyurethane clear coat  systems. polyurethane coatings show superior weathering resistance compared with acrylic melamine systems. however, any chemical change has detrimental effects on the property profile of pu coatings. coatings containing various amounts of cerium oxide nanoparticles were p...

We report the structure and stability of ceria units deposited on the surface of γ-Al2O3 or incorporated in its cavities, as determined by periodic density functional calculations. Ceria species are modeled as CeO2 or Ce2O4 moieties or as a small nanoparticle, Ce13O26, on the (100) and (001) surfaces of a γ-Al2O3 slab. Among the studied structures the incorporation of Ce(4+) ions in cavities of...

The exceptional activity for methane combustion of modular palladium-ceria core-shell subunits on silicon-functionalized alumina that was recently reported has created renewed interest in the potential of core-shell structures as catalysts. Here we report on our use of advanced ex situ and in situ electron microscopy with atomic resolution to show that the modular palladium-ceria core-shell sub...

The growth morphology and structure of ceria nano-islands on a stepped Au(788) surface has been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). Within the concept of physical vapor deposition, different kinetic routes have been employed to design ceria-Au inverse model catalysts with different ceria nanoparticle shapes and arrangements. A two-dime...

Here we report a universal method of attachment/functionalization of tips for atomic force microscope (AFM) with nanoparticles. The particles of interest are glued to the AFM tip with epoxy. While the gluing of micron size particles with epoxy has been known, attachment of nanoparticles was a problem. The suggested method can be used for attachment of virtually any solid nanoparticles. Approxim...

Catalysis by gold supported on reducible oxides has been extensively studied, yet issues such as the nature of the catalytic site and the role of the reducible support remain fiercely debated topics. Here we present ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of an unprecedented dynamic single-atom catalytic mechanism for the oxidation of carbon monoxide by ceria-supported gold clusters. The repor...

Beyond the traditional use of ceria as an abrasive, the scope of nanoceria applications now extends into fuel cell manufacturing, diesel fuel additives, and for therapeutic intervention as a putative antioxidant. However, the biological effects of nanoceria exposure have yet to be fully defined, which gave us the impetus to examine its systemic biodistribution and biological responses. An exten...

The objective was to characterize the biodistribution of nanoscale ceria from blood and its effects on oxidative stress endpoints. A commercial 5% crystalline ceria dispersion in water (average particle size 3194 nm) was infused intravenously into rats (0, 50, 250 and 750 mg/kg), which were terminated 1 or 20 h later. Biodistribution in rat tissues was assessed by microscopy and ICP-AES/MS. Oxi...

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to explore the liquid-solid (crystal) phase change of a ceria nanoparticle. The simulations reveal that the crystalline seed, which spontaneously evolves and nucleates crystallisation, is a liquid rather than a solid. Evidence supporting this concept includes: (a) only 3% of the total latent heat of solidification had been liberated after 25% of the n...