Synthesis of novel CeO2 microspheres with enhanced solar light photocatalyic properties

In this communication, CeO2 microspheres have been firstly synthesized via a facile catalytic oxidation method under room temperature. The morphology and structure of the synthesized material were characterized by FESEM and XRD, respectively. The synthesis mechanism could be attributed to the catalysis of Ag+ in the reaction system. The synthesized material exhibited good photocatalytic activity for the degradation of acid orange 7 (AO 7) under solar light irradiation, and the pseudo-first order reaction rate constant (k) of 0.005 min−1 for CeO2 microspheres is higher than 0.002 min−1 of commercial TiO2 P25. The synthesized material could be useful as a solar-light-driven photocatalyst for decomposing organic compounds.

Graphical AbstractFigure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► Uniform CeO2 micropheres were firstly synthesized under room temperature.
► The synthesis mechanism was illustrated.
► The synthesized CeO2 microspheres possessed good photocatalytic activity.