Preparation and Photocatalysis of Nano-Zn/Ce Composite Oxides

Metal oxide photocatalysts often lead to partial or complete mineralization of organic pollutants. On irradiation with UV-visible light, metal oxides catalyze redox reactions in the presence of air and O2 and water. Using ascorbic acid as a new combustion agent, ZnO was rapidly synthesized. Nano-Zn/CeO2 composites were prepared by a heterogeneous-precipitation method using (NH4)2CO3 as precipitation agent. X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, ultraviolet spectrophotometry, and differential thermal analysis were used to analyse the microstructures of the synthesized materials. Differential thermal analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that ZnO was coated by CeO2. Herein, a nano-Zn/Ce composite was explored as a catalyst for Rhodamine B photodegradation with a 125-W lamp as the UV radiation source in a batch reactor. The results show the photocatalytic properties of the nano-Zn/Ce composite were superior to ZnO, CeO2, and nano-Ce/Zn composites