Application Used as catalyst, paint dryer, plastic Additive. As the the precursor in preparation of inorganic nanoparticles in oil-in-water microemulsions. The Toluene-based precursor solution was composed by mixing gadolinium (III) 2-ethylhexanoate and cerium (III) 2-ethylhexanoate to achieve the right stoichiometry. For the ceria/zirconia precursor, cerium(III) 2-ethylhexanoate and zirconium(IV) 2-ethylhexanoate were mixed to result in a metal molar ratio Ce/Zr of 1:1 and diluted with xylene to a total metal. Thin films of CeO 2 were prepared by a photochemical method using thin amorphous films of cerium(III) 2-ethylhexanoate as the precursor.