Crystalline structure, oxygen defects and textural properties of the CeO₂/SBA-15 nanomaterials

In this study, a series of CeO2/SBA-15 nanomaterials were synthesized by varying the CeO2 content. These materials were characterized by different techniques to determine their textural, surface chemical and crystalline properties. Crystallite size and oxygen defects were determined by Microanalysis Using X-Ray Diffraction (MAUD) software based on the Rietveld refinement method. The results showed that the crystallite size slightly increased from 5.6 to 8.4 nm and the surface area decreased from 620 to 370 m2/g as CeO2 content increased from 5 to 10, 15 to 20wt%. The oxygen occupancy that was associated with oxygen defects was found in the crystalline structure of CeO2. The defect concentration was between 6.18 and 14.42%, depending on the ceria content and dispersion. This study confirmed that the CeO2/SBA-15 nanomaterials have larger surface area, highly dispersed CeO2 nanoparticles, and a big number of oxygen defects in the crystalline structure, which can be used in different catalytic reactions.