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Photocatalytic properties of the CeO 2 ‐xTiO 2 and TiO 2 ‐xCeO 2 (x = 10, 30, and 50 mol%) heterostructures obtained by a MAH
Author(s) -
Nascimento Leulomar E.,
Andrade Neto Nivaldo F.,
Ramalho Onecima B. M.,
Bomio Mauricio R. D.,
Motta Fabiana V.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of applied ceramic technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.4
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1744-7402
pISSN - 1546-542X
DOI - 10.1111/ijac.13575
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , materials science , anatase , heterojunction , hydrothermal circulation , transmission electron microscopy , methylene blue , diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical engineering , nuclear chemistry , nanotechnology , catalysis , optoelectronics , chemistry , biochemistry , chromatography , engineering
In this work, CeO 2 ‐TiO 2 heterostructures were submitted to the microwave‐assisted hydrothermal (MAH) method at 140°C for 30 minute, and varying the CeO 2 and TiO 2 percentages as 10, 30, and 50 mol%. The heterostructures were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller methodology (BET), and UV‐Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV‐Vis). The photocatalytic properties were estimated varying the concentration of methylene blue (MB) dye. The diffractograms indicate the formation of TiO 2 anatase and CeO 2 phases, without the formation of secondary phases. TEM images indicate the formation of nanocubes and nanospheres for CeO 2 and TiO 2 , respectively. BET analysis indicates that CeO 2 has the largest surface area (62.80 m 2 .g −1 ), and TiO 2 ‐10%CeO 2 heterostructure has a low surface area (26.13 m 2 .g −1 ). The addition of TiO 2 to CeO 2 increases the photocatalytic activity from 32% to 80% for CeO 2 and CeO 2 ‐50%TiO 2 , respectively. In contrast, the addition of CeO 2 significantly decreases the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 from 98.9% to 50% for TiO 2 and TiO 2 ‐50%CeO 2 , respectively. Reuse tests showed that the TiO 2 ‐xCeO 2 samples maintain the photocatalytic response in subsequent cycles while the CeO 2 ‐xTiO 2 samples have an increase in the response.