Green synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ce-doped TiO2 nanoparticles supported on porous glass

A facile and green method to prepare Ce-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles supported on porous glass beads is reported. An ion exchange process and subsequent calcination yielded Ce-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles with a mean size of 4.8   ±   0.3   nm. The nanoparticles were dispersed on the surface of porous glass beads. The addition of Ce enhanced the visible light absorption of the TiO 2 nanoparticles in the 400–500   nm spectral window. The band gap of the as-prepared catalyst was 2.80   eV. The Ce-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles immobilized on porous glass beads exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for the visible-light-degradation of methyl orange (MO) and rhodamine B (RhB); with rate constants of 0.095 and 0.230   min −1 ; respectively. The effects of Ce dosage; reaction duration; and initial solution pH on the conversion of MO and RhB dyes were investigated. The green synthesis and favorable photocatalytic activity makes the Ce-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles immobilized on porous glass an attractive alternative for the efficient degradation of organic pollutants.