Abstract:
Nanosized cerium oxide (CeO2) particles possessing different morphologies like nanorods, nanocubes and
nanospheres have been successfully synthesized by a simple one step, surfactant free, precipitation
technique and by hydrothermal methods. The diverse morphology motifs were further utilized for the
planarization of silicate glass with an initial surface roughness of 40 nm and we observed a strong
morphology dependence of the abrasive in glass polishing. Polishing efficiency of the nanoabrasives in
terms of the mass removal and surface roughness was investigated using a table top lapping machine.
Surface roughness analysis by atomic force microscopy reveals that the ceria nanostructure with a mixed
morphology of rods and cubes could produce a surface finish of 3 A. The surface properties of the ˚
abrasive were found to play a key role in polishing as evidenced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
and Raman spectral analysis. The powder contact angle/hydrophilicity of the nanopowders followed the
same trend as that of the dipolar (200) plane and [Ce3+]. This work has shown promise in polishing
efficiency with nano CeO2 slurry to achieve nanolevel planarity on glass substrates, which is desirable for
the global planarization of complex device topography.
