Preparation of nanosized yttrium doped CeO2 catalyst used for photocatalytic application

In the present work, the pure CeO2 and yttrium doped CeO2 nanopowders were synthesized by the nitrate-fuel self-sustaining combustion method and calcined at 700 °C for 2 h. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution electron transmission microscopy (HRTEM) results demonstrated a cubic fluorite with high purity and the crystallite sizes less than 20 nm calculated from Scherrer’s formula. The BET specific surface area of yttrium doped CeO2 samples showed high values than those of pure CeO2. The photocatalytic activity of yttrium doped CeO2 showed high degradation of Rhodamine B solution under visible light illumination.