Cerium dioxide is a transparent oxide with high refractive index (from 1.6 to 2.5 at 633 nm) in the visible and near-IR spectral regions. However, little attention has been paid to its optical property in mid-IR (2.5-25 mu m). Here we report that the cauliflower-like microstructured CeO2 coating deposited by electron beam physical vapor deposition technique shows high emissivity up to 0.9 at 873 K in the mid-IR spectral region. The high emissivity is attributed to the coupling between free propagating waves and space-variant polarizations caused by the cauliflower-like microstructure. This high emissivity coating shows a potential application in high temperature components. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.