Ai X, Yan S, Lin C, Lu K, Chen Y, Ma L. Facile Fabrication of Highly Active CeO
2@ZnO Nanoheterojunction Photocatalysts.
NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023;
13:1371. [PMID:
37110956 PMCID:
PMC10143434 DOI:
10.3390/nano13081371]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Photocatalyst performance is often limited by the poor separation and rapid recombination of photoinduced charge carriers. A nanoheterojunction structure can facilitate the separation of charge carrier, increase their lifetime, and induce photocatalytic activity. In this study, CeO2@ZnO nanocomposites were produced by pyrolyzing Ce@Zn metal-organic frameworks prepared from cerium and zinc nitrate precursors. The effects of the Zn:Ce ratio on the microstructure, morphology, and optical properties of the nanocomposites were studied. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites under light irradiation was assessed using rhodamine B as a model pollutant, and a mechanism for photodegradation was proposed. With the increase in the Zn:Ce ratio, the particle size decreased, and surface area increased. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses revealed the formation of a heterojunction interface, which enhanced photocarrier separation. The prepared photocatalysts show a higher photocatalytic activity than CeO2@ZnO nanocomposites previously reported in the literature. The proposed synthetic method is simple and may produce highly active photocatalysts for environmental remediation.
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