A comparative study of cerium oxides formed by pulsed laser ablation and continuous wave laser heating

Abstract

AbstractThe formation of Ce2O3 from cerium metal requires complex reducing conditions. Alternatively, we show that different stoichiometries and structures of cerium oxides can be generated in high‐temperature laser experiments by varying the availability of oxygen and the use of either pulsed laser ablation (PLA) or continuous wave (CW) laser heating of cerium metal. X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy suggest that a low structural order Ce2O3/CeO2 mixed structure is formed in a 1% O2 atmosphere with PLA. For CW heating in a 1% O2 environment, Raman measurements show the formation of crystalline A‐type Ce2O3 in proximity to the point of laser impingement. These experiments were repeated in 18O2 and allowed us to report for the first time the corresponding Raman spectrum of Ce218O3.