Properties of Cerium (III) Fluoride Nanopowder Obtained by Pulsed Electron Beam Evaporation

Abstract

The method of pulsed electron beam evaporation (PEBE) in vacuum was first used to obtain CeF3 nanopowder (NP). During NP production, a high evaporation rate of the target (∼7 g/h) and a higher percentage of NP collection (> 72%) were observed, both for fluoride and the previously obtained CeO2 oxide. The main physicochemical characteristics of NP were studied: structure, porosity, thermal stability and magnetic properties. It was found that the produced NP contains two crystalline phases: hexagonal CeF3 (95 wt%, coherent scattering regions (CSR) ≈ 8 nm) and [Ce-O-F] or [Ce-F]. The last phase is obtained only at a high temperature, which is characteristic for the used NP synthesis method. The magnetic susceptibility of CeF3 nanoparticles (NPles) coincides with the susceptibility of micron particles, indicating the potential for using such NPles as a contrast agent for tomography. High specific surface area (SSA) (CeO2–270 m2/g, CeF3 - 62 m2/g) and large pore volume (0.35–0.11 cm3/g) allow the use of NP as nanocontainers for drug delivery. © 2021.