Study on the application of emulsion explosives in synthesizing nanostructured ceria

In this paper, the application of emulsion explosives in synthesizing nanostructured ceria is introduced. The reaction mechanism to prepare nanostructured ceria with emulsion explosives by the detonation synthesis method is discussed. Nanostructured ceria powder is prepared by initiating special emulsion explosives in which Ce(NO$_3$)$_3$ $\cdot$ 6H$_2$O is regarded as the main oxidant in an explosion containment vessel. The phase composition, crystallite form, morphology, and microstructure of the as-synthesized products are characterized by x-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method is used to measure the specific surface areas of the powders. Nanostructured ceria belongs to the cubic phase. The morphology of as-synthesized ceria is nearly spherical, and the mean size of ceria particles is 55 nm. It is a mixture of monocrystal and polycrystal grains.