CeO2–Bi2O3 nanocomposite: Two step synthesis, microstructure and photocatalytic activity

Abstract CeO 2 –Bi 2 O 3 composite was synthesized via a two-stage process. The precursors were prepared from Ce(NO 3 ) 3 ·6H 2 O, Bi(NO 3 ) 3 ·5H 2 O and CO(NH 2 ) 2 with different molar ratio through the hydrothermal process, and then was completed by carrying out the precursors for 4 h at 600 °C under flowing air atmosphere. Techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopic (TEM) and diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–vis spectra (UV-DRS) were employed to characterize the as-synthesized materials. The results showed that the microstructure and morphology of CeO 2 –Bi 2 O 3 composite were similar in spite of different inverse proportion. We also investigated improved photocatalytic activity in the case of CeO 2 –Bi 2 O 3 composite catalyst compared to the catalytic activity of pure Bi 2 O 3 or CeO 2 powder. The suppression of charge recombination in the composite CeO 2 –Bi 2 O 3 catalyst led to higher catalytic activity for the degradation of RhB. The CeO 2 10%/Bi 2 O 3 photocatalyst exhibited maximum photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic activity is in close relation with the inverse proportion between reactants.