Preparation of titania nanotubes doped with cerium and their photocatalytic activity for glyphosate

TiO2 nanotubes were first synthesized through hydrothermal treatment of rutile-phase TiO2 nanoparticles in l0 mol l−1 NaOH solution at 130 °C for 24 h. And then, cerium doped titania nanotubes (Ce–TiO2 nanotubes) were prepared by impregnation method, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Fourier transfer infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, BET surface area and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Structure, morphology, composition, and visible light absorption property of Ce–TiO2 nanotubes are found to be strongly dependent on the cerium doping content and calcination temperature. The photocatalytic activities of Ce–TiO2 nanotubes were investigated by the degradation of glyphosate. The results show that cerium doping enhanced the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanotubes, and the glyphosate on Ce–TiO2 nanotubes was effectively decomposed through photocatalytic oxidation. 0.15% Ce–TiO2 nanotubes annealed at 400 °C show the best photocatalytic activity, and the degradation rate of glyphosate is 76% under the irradiation for 1 h.