Structural and physical-chemical characterization of redox active CeO2nanoparticles synthesized by precipitation in water-alcohol solutions

Yuliia Shlapa; Illia Timashkov; Katerina Veltruska; Katarina Siposova; Ivana Garcarova; Andrey Musatov; Sergii Solopan; Martina Kubovcikova; Anatolii Belous

doi:10.1088/1361-6528/abf7e9

Structural and physical-chemical characterization of redox active CeO₂nanoparticles synthesized by precipitation in water-alcohol solutions

Nanotechnology. 2021 May 10;32(31). doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/abf7e9.

Authors

Yuliia Shlapa¹, Illia Timashkov¹, Katerina Veltruska², Katarina Siposova³, Ivana Garcarova³, Andrey Musatov³, Sergii Solopan¹, Martina Kubovcikova³, Anatolii Belous¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Solid State Chemistry, V. I. Vernadskii Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the NAS of Ukraine, 32/34 Palladina Ave., Kyiv, 03142 Ukraine.
² Department of Surface and Plasma Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V Holešovičkách 2, Prague 8, 18000, Czech Republic.
³ Institute of Experimental Physics Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, Kosice, 040 01, Slovakia.

PMID: 33853053
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/abf7e9

Abstract

A set of cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO₂NPs) was synthesized by precipitation in water-alcohol solutions under conditions when the physical-chemical parameters of synthesized NPs were controlled by changing the ratio of the reaction components. The size of CeO₂NPs is controlled largely by the dielectric constant of the reaction solution. An increase of the percentage of Ce³⁺ions at the surface was observed with a concomitant reduction of the NP sizes. All synthesized CeO₂NPs possess relatively high positive values of zeta-potential (ζ > 40 mV) suggesting good stability in aqueous suspensions. Analysis of the valence- and size-dependent rate of hydrogen peroxide decomposition revealed that catalase/peroxidase-like activity of CeO₂NPs is higher at a low percentage of Ce³⁺at the NP surface. In contrast, smaller CeO₂NPs with a higher percentage of Ce³⁺at the NP surface display a higher oxidase-like activity.

Keywords: catalase/peroxidase activity; cerium dioxide nanoparticles; chemical state; morphology; synthesis; zeta-potential.