Preparation and Characterization of Ultrafine Rare Earth Molybdenum Complex Oxide Particles

Ultrafine rare earth molybdenum (La–Mo and Ce–Mo) complex oxide particles have been synthesized by the sol–gel process using citric acid as complexing agent. The influence of preparation conditions such as thermal treatment temperature (T), molar ratio of citric acid to metallic ions (L/M), and pH value of the starting solution on the oxide particle size has been studied. The formation of La₂Mo₂O₉and Ce₂Mo₃O₁₂has been investigated using XRD, DTA–TG, FT-IR, TEM, and BET surface area measurements. It is shown that the morphology and structure of the oxide particles are significantly dependent on the preparation conditions. The influence of different preparation methods on the particle size of La–Mo and Ce–Mo oxides is also discussed.