Nanoceria
(CeO2 nanoparticle) with oxidase-like catalytic
activity has been used for a diverse range of analytical, environmental,
and nanomedicine applications. In this work, the use of nanoceria
for the oxidation of common chromogenic substrates was investigated
at low pH, where its activity was greatly enhanced. In addition, the
shape of the nanoparticles changed dramatically, yielding nanorods
in the presence of adsorbed substrates at pH 1. This work provides
an interesting method to synthesize CeO2 nanorods at room
temperature. By slightly increasing the reaction temperature, CeO2 nanoflowers were further obtained. This change of shape also
affected its catalytic activity, with the nanorods being the most
active. The physical and chemical properties of the nanoceria materials
were characterized by various spectroscopic, microscopic, and electrochemical
techniques. The increased activity at low pH was due to the promoted
release of the oxidation product, as well as increased oxygen vacancy
concentration and enhanced electron transfer. This work has deepened
our understanding of nanoceria as a catalyst, enhanced its catalytic
activity, and provided a useful way of controlling its morphology.