Effect of the Addition of Cerium Acetylacetonate on the Synthesis of ZnO Nanopowder

The effect of the addition of cerium acetylacetonate on the solvothermal synthesis of zinc oxide nanopowder, a promising receptor material for chemical gas sensors, was studied. The obtained products were characterized by DSC/TGA, X-ray powder diffraction analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that an increase in the content of the cerium acetylacetonate additive causes a shift of the maximum of the exothermic event in the DSC curves toward lower temperatures (from 323 to 277°C). The produced ZnO powders have a hexagonal crystal structure of the wurtzite type; no cerium-containing phases were observed. The unit cell parameters of ZnO nanopowders were calculated by the full-profile X-ray phase analysis. It was shown that an increase in the [Ce(O2C5H7)2] leads to noticeable changes in the microstructure of the products.