Abstract: Nanocrystalline cerium hydroxide (NCs-Ce(OH)₄) is a intermediate product of CeO₂, synthesized successfully using a novel and simple wet chemical rout at an ambient temperature for the preparation of NCs CeO₂ powder and film on mass scale for various purposes. The synthesized NCs-Ce(OH)₄ was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV-visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The average crystallite size of NCs-Ce(OH)₄ has been estimated by the Scherrer equation to be 3–4 nm. The SEM examinations show that the surface texture was uniformly agglomerated and homogeneous. Thermal analysis suggests that cerium (IV) ion is in the tetra hydrated form. Absorption and luminescence spectroscopic studies have been examined for future application in the development of optical devices.

Key words: NCs-Ce(OH)₄; X-ray diffraction; thermo-gravimetric analysis; optical properties