Design, synthesis and shape evaluation of cerium iron oxide nanorods for an epoxide opening reaction through azide addition

Abstract

Uniform nanorod structured Ce_1−xFe_xO₂ has been synthesized through a simple urea hydrolysis method without any surfactant. The prepared nanorods of Ce_0.75Fe_0.25O₂ are well clear and uniformly distributed with edge lengths of ∼200 nm and show a high surface area (86.95 m² g⁻¹). Moreover, the time-dependent growth mechanism for nanorods has been studied and proposed, beginning with self-aggregation and digestive ripening. Catalytic activity of the synthesized material is investigated for the synthesis of 2-azidoalcohol from epoxide opening reactions. Remarkably, Ce_0.75Fe_0.25O₂ demonstrated excellent activity up to four use cycles without any obvious loss in yield.