Nanocomposite of CeO2 and High-Coercivity Magnetic Carrier with Large Specific Surface Area

Abstract

We succeeded in the preparation of CoFe2O4/CeO2 nanocomposites with very high specific surface area (up to 264 g/m2). First, highly crystalline nanoparticles (NPs) of CoFe2O4 (4.7 nm) were prepared by hydrothermal method in water-alcohol-oleic acid system. The oleate surface coating was subsequently modified by ligand exchange to citrate. Then the NPs were embedded in CeO2 using heterogeneous precipitation from diluted Ce3+ sulphate solution. Dried samples were characterized by Powder X-Ray Diffraction, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis, Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy, Mössbauer Spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method. Moreover, detailed investigation of magnetic properties of the bare NPs and final composite was carried out. We observed homogeneous embedding of the magnetic NPs into the CeO2 without significant change of their size and magnetic properties. We have thus demonstrated that the proposed synthesis method is suitable for preparation of extremely fine CeO2 nanopowders and their nanocomposites with NPs. The morphology and magnetic nature of the obtained nanocomposites make them a promising candidate for magnetoresponsive catalysis.