Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Uranium oxides have attracted much attention not only in the context of nuclear energy generation but also for their application as pristine catalysts or as supports for other (transition metal) oxides and (precious) metals. Their propensity to adopt high coordination numbers and manifest multiple oxidation states (from +II to +VI) makes them attractive candidates for catalyzed transformation reactions. Herein, we report a new synthesis route to phase-pure, crystalline UO2 nanoparticles via microwave-assisted decomposition of a molecular uranium(IV) precursor. The electronic structure and optical absorption properties of these nanocrystals were investigated using spectroscopic methods to evaluate their suitability for photo(electro)catalytic applications.