Structural and Morphological Investigation of Ce0.6Zr0.4O2 Oxides Synthesized by Sol-Gel Method: Influence of Calcination and Redox Treatments

Ceria-zirconia mixed oxides of nominal composition Ce0.6Zr0.4O2 were prepared by sol-gel method. The structural and morphological modifications of these materials due to calcination and redox treatments up to 1000°C were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinements, specific surface area measurements (BET), oxygen storage capacity (OSC), TEM and SEM analyses. The materials maintain high OSC after several hours of treatments at 1000°C in oxidizing and reducing atmosphere, showing good resistance to the thermal ageing. An improvement of the OSC is manifested after repetitive redox cycles, even though textural characterization shows that reduction/oxidation processes induce sintering of the crystallites.