Densification behavior of cerium oxide grains in suspension-derived deposits

Abstract

In suspension-based deposition techniques, it is important to understand how the suspension quality affects the quality of the resulting heat treated deposit. We report here that the dispersion of particles in the suspension determines the packing of as-deposited grains which in turn affects its densification. Using zeta potential measurements, dynamic light scattering measurements, and scanning electron microscopy, we show that suspension-derived deposits can be generally thought to be composed of tightly-packed and loosely-packed grains. The use of agglomerated suspensions, such as CeO₂-acetone, produces both types of packing which densifies non-uniformly when heat treated while the use of well-dispersed suspensions, such as CeO₂-ethanol, produces only one type of packing which densifies uniformly when heat treated.