Effects of the precursor size on the morphologies and properties of γ-Ce 2 S 3 as a pigment

Ceria spheres with different sizes and sulfurized products with corresponding morphology were prepared by hydrothermal and gas-solid reaction method at 600–800 °C under CS2 atmosphere for a short time, respectively. Dimensional effect in preparation of γ-Ce2S3 was firstly investigated by means of techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and spectrophotometer. The results showed that when ceria nanoparticles with small size were used as precursors, the γ-Ce2S3 could be prepared at the lower temperature and the badly sintered products were obtained; when ceria nanoparticles with large size were employed as precursors, pure γ-Ce2S3 was difficultly obtained even if the temperature was up to 800 °C and the products tended to keep their original size. The heat-resistance property of the γ-Ce2S3 with large size was better than the smaller one, and the pure γ-Ce2S3 prepared from precursor with small size had a good pigmentary performance.