Effect of graphene sheets on the physicochemical properties of nanocrystallite ceria

Cerium-based materials are the most attractive alternative because of the cerium ability to quickly change oxidation state. This work proposes the synthesis of nanostructured graphene-ceria composite and studies its morphological features arising under the impact of oxygen-free graphene.

The mechanism of formation of nano-ceria crystallites when the sol-gel transition occurs on the surface of graphene sheets is also considered. It has been proven that the addition of 0.5–0.6 wt.% graphene sheets ensures that nano-ceria is single-phase, while simultaneously increasing its dispersity. Using the dilatometry method, it has been determined that uniformly distributed sheets of oxygen-free graphene leads to a decrease in temperature of the beginning of composite sintering by 175°C compared to pure nano-ceria, and increases the shrinkage value by 2 times, which, in turn, should promote better sintering.