This work reported the synthesis of stainless-steel wire-mesh (SSWM) supported CeO2 with predominantly exposed (111) and (220) planes of high technological interest with a crystal size of about 7 nm and a high specific area ~ 120 m2g− 1 using the sacrificial template-accelerated hydrolysis (STAH) technique. To accomplish this outstanding process, the key ingeniousness here was employing a template (SSWM-supported ZnO oxide). As a manner to experiment SSWM supported CeO2 it was successfully tested for CO oxidation. The trials depicted that T50, the temperature at which 50% of CO conversion was achieved, was found to be 220°C, and T100, the temperature at which 100% of CO conversion was reached, was observed to be300°C. Also, the CeO2 catalyst showed good durability at 300°C during 12 h implying that CeO2 prepared using the STAH technique is robust and promising for prolonged periods of treatment. This method provided a new way to fabricate flexible nanosized functional CeO2 oxide such as structured catalysts, sensor arrays, batteries, bioactive materials, etc.