Enhanced photocatalytic properties of CeO2/TiO2 heterostructures for phenol degradation

Herein, CeO 2 /TiO 2 heterostructures are synthesized adopt a simple and profitable sol-gel technique. The nanostructures comprised of ultrafine and well-distributed CeO 2 nanoparticles on the TiO 2 surface. The obtained catalysts were characterized via X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption , Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy , photoluminescence spectroscopy, and ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectroscopy tests. The as-prepared heterostructures exhibited a visibly enhanced photodegradation performance using phenol(38 ppm) as the model of organic pollutants . The achieved degradation efficiency was 99.1% under UV-light irradiation for 120 min and the TOC removal was 81.31% when using CeO 2 /TiO 2 as catalyst with the CeO 2 loading of 0.5%. The enhanced property was ascribed to the formation of a heterojunction after coupling CeO 2 with TiO 2 , which could capture the phenol molecules and improve the adsorption properties of the materials. Meanwhile, the heterostructures inhibited photogenic carriers recombination, thereby extending the optical response range. Furthermore, the as-prepared catalysts possessed favorable cycle performances and were reutilized for four cycles with insignificantly reduced property, the degradation rate were decreased slightly to 94.0% with a inappreciable decline in Ce and Ti leaching, suggesting it's preeminent stability and recyclability in the process of photocatalytic .