Hydrothermal conversion of cerium oxalate to CeO2: a parade of oxalate and water coordination modes

Abstrakt

Hydrothemal conversion of lanthanide/actinide oxalate salts to nanocrystalline oxide has gained technological importance in the chemistry of f-elements. Herein, we present a study describing the mechanism behind the hydrothermal recrystallization and decomposition of cerium (and Ce-Gd) oxalate to oxide.

Structural determination of all intermediate nanocrystalline products was possible thanks to three-dimensional electron diffraction. This work reveals the enormous structural abilities of simple oxalate ligands.