Effect of graphene sheets on the physicochemical properties of nanocrystallite ceria

Currently, replacing expensive and short-lived materials for supercapacitors based on RuO with more cost-effective and high-performance materials that remain operational after a large number of cycles is a challenge. Cerium-based materials are the most attractive alternative because of the cerium ability to quickly change oxidation state. This work proposes the synthesis of nanostructured graphene-ceria composite and studies its morphological features arising under the impact of oxygen-free graphene. The mechanism of formation of nano-ceria crystallites when the sol-gel transition occurs on the surface of graphene sheets is also considered. It has been proven that the addition of 0.5–0.6 wt.% graphene sheets ensures that nano-ceria is single-phase, while simultaneously increasing its dispersity. Using the dilatometry method, it has been determined that uniformly distributed sheets of oxygen-free graphene leads to a decrease in temperature of the beginning of composite sintering by 175°C compared to pure nano-ceria, and increases the shrinkage value by 2 times, which, in turn, should promote better sintering. This composite is promising in the development of new materials for small devices and large power plants.

Methods
The dataset was collected through experiments conducted by the co-authors. Their interpretation was carried out during the discussion.