Preparation of Cerium Oxide Tubes with Wool Fibers as Template

Abstract

Using wool fibers as template and Ce (NO3)3•6H2O, PEG and NH3·H2O as precursors, micron-scale CeO2tubes composed of well-crystalline CeO2nanoparticles have been synthesized. Cerium oxide was first precipitated on the wool fibers by vapor deposition method, then the fibers were removed by a two-step calcination. The obtained products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The results show that intact tubes with a diameter of 8~12μm have been successfully prepared.