Hydrogenated ceria nanorods and nanobelts for photoelectrochemical application

• Three-dimensional (3D) superstructures of CeO2 nanorods and nanobelts were prepared.
• The hydrogenated CeO2 shows the smaller particle size and the presence of oxygen vacancies.
• The hydrogenated CeO2 can exhibit an excellent photovoltaic response under visible light illumination.

Ceria (CeO2) is a particularly interesting material because of their unique optical, electronic, magnetic, and catalytic properties. Three-dimensional (3D) superstructures of CeO2 nanorods and nanobelts has been prepared through a template-free electrodeposition methodology with NH4Ac and KCl as additives. The hydrogenated CeO2 shows the smaller particle size and the presence of oxygen vacancies compared with the bulk CeO2. The photoelectrochemical measurements demonstrate that the hydrogenated CeO2 can exhibit an excellent photovoltaic response under visible light illumination.