Synthesis of Hierarchical Layered Quasi-Triangular Ce(OH)CO3 and Its Thermal Conversion to Ceria with High Polishing Performance

Jing Li; Rucheng He; Guihua Guo; Yao Li; Yuanyuan Liao; Yongxiu Li

doi:10.1021/acsomega.2c07682

Synthesis of Hierarchical Layered Quasi-Triangular Ce(OH)CO₃ and Its Thermal Conversion to Ceria with High Polishing Performance

ACS Omega. 2023 Feb 23;8(9):8519-8529. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c07682. eCollection 2023 Mar 7.

Authors

Jing Li^{1

2}, Rucheng He¹, Guihua Guo¹, Yao Li¹, Yuanyuan Liao¹, Yongxiu Li^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, People's Republic of China.
² Institute of Rare Earths, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Layered quasi-triangular Ce(OH)CO₃ assembled from primary nanoparticles was synthesized via a solvothermal method and converted into CeO₂ abrasive particles by calcination at 800-1000 °C. With the increase of calcination temperature, the primary particle size increased and the microstructure, mechanical hardness, and chemical activity of the CeO₂ particles changed, thus affecting the polishing performance. The calcined products obtained at 800, 850, and 900 °C maintained the layered edge structure of the Ce(OH)CO₃ precursor and had a relatively high specific surface area and surface Ce³⁺ concentration. The samples calcined at 950 and 1000 °C lost the layered structure due to the large-scale melting of the primary particles, and their surface chemical activity decreased. The polishing experiments on K9 glass showed that, with the calcination temperature rising from 800 to 1000 °C, the material removal rate (MRR) first increased and then decreased sharply. The initial increase of MRR was attributed to the increase of mechanical hardness of the layered quasi-triangular CeO₂, and the subsequent decrease of MRR was related to the decrease in surface chemical activity and disappearance of the layered edge structure. The product calcined at 900 °C had the highest MRR and best surface quality after polishing due to the layered edge structure and optimal match of chemical activity and mechanical hardness.