In this study, phenol-formaldehyde (PF)/CeO2 nanocomposites (NC)s were prepared by in-situ polymerization of
phenol and formaldehyde in alkali solution in the presence of surface modified CeO2 nanoparticles (NP)s by
sonochemical assisted synthesis. The morphology and structure of PF/CeO2 NCs were characterized by using
fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic
force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal analyses methods. It was found that due to the
good dispersion of surface modified NPs in polymer matrix and the strong interfacial interaction between the
CeO2 NPs and PF matrix, the thermal stability and thermo-mechanical properties of the PF/CeO2 NCs were
greatly enhanced. FE-SEM and AFM analyses showed the uniform distribution of CeO2 NPs in PF matrix. The
XRD patterns of NCs show the presence of crystalline CeO2 NPs in amorphous matrix. The thermal analysis
results reveal that, with increases in the content of CeO2 NPs in PF matrix, the thermally stability factors of
samples were drastically enhanced.