Preparation and characterization of BiFeO3@Ce-doped TiO2 core-shell structured nanocomposites

BiFeO3@TiO2–Ce composite nanoparticles with a BiFeO3 core and a Ce-doped TiO2 shell structure were fabricated via a sol–gel method. The nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The results reveal that core-shell structured BiFeO3@TiO2–Ce nanoparticles show a significant redshift in the UV–vis absorption spectra in comparison with both Ce-TiO2 and BiFeO3@TiO2 nanoparticles. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were tested in the degradation of methyl orange in aqueous solutions under visible light and UV light irradiations. The core-shell structured BiFeO3@TiO2–Ce sample exhibits higher photocatalytic activity, which is attributed to the synergistic effects of BiFeO3 and cerium.