Fabrication and Characterization of Europium(III) Oxide (Eu2O3) Doped Cerium Dioxide (CeO2) Surrogate Pellets

Due to the rising global demand in energy, there has been a search for innovative ways to overcome greenhouse gas emissions to provide constant and efficient power. Reported in this investigation are the fabrication techniques and microstructural and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of very low concentrations of Eu2O3 doped CeO2 pellets. Pure CeO2 is reported here to have grain size of 20.9 μm/grain. The relationships between the concentration of Eu2O3 and photoluminescence intensity (data collected by Jacob Flowers), grain structure and porosity are analyzed. Evidently, as concentration increased the intensity of fluorescent peaks are increased. The nature of this increase is investigated and show the intensity increases with no signs of peak broadening. The lowest wt% of Eu2O3 (0.05%) was determined to have the largest effect on the grain structure as the average grain size increased by approximately 7 μm/grain. As concentration increased the relative grain size decreased closer to the initial grain size of pure CeO2. The porosity of the sample decreased as concentration increased. A trend is hypothesized for wt% of Eu2O3 greater than 0.2% will continue a decrease in grain size and eventually replicate and/or surpass the grain size of pure CeO2.