Preparation of nanosized yttrium doped CeO2 catalyst used for photocatalytic application

Abstract In the present work, the pure CeO 2 and yttrium doped CeO 2 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 CeO 2 samples showed high values than those of pure CeO 2 . The photocatalytic activity of yttrium doped CeO 2 showed high degradation of Rhodamine B solution under visible light illumination.