BaTiO3/CeO2 heterojunction photocatalysts: design, construction and a novel application for the photocatalytic degradation of oxytetracycline hydrochloride

Abstract

Abstract A polyacrylamide gel method combined with low temperature calcination technology has been developed to synthesize the BaTiO3/CeO2 heterojunction photocatalysts, which were formed by hybriding the large BaTiO3 particles and fine CeO2 nanoparticles with varied mass percent of CeO2. Various characterization methods have been used to determine the phase structure, functional group information, elemental composition, microstructure, optical and photocatalytic activity of BaTiO3/CeO2 heterojunction photocatalysts. The introduction of CeO2 into the host lattice of BaTiO3 does not change the optical band gap value (Eg = 3.20 eV) of the host lattice. As expected, the BaTiO3/CeO2 heterojunction photocatalysts exhibit highly enhanced and CeO2 composition-dependent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of oxytetracycline hydrochloride under simulated sunlight irradiation. The BaTiO3/5 wt% CeO2, BaTiO3/10 wt% CeO2, and BaTiO3/15 wt% CeO2 showed lower photocatalytic activity, while BaTiO3/20 wt% CeO2 showed highest photocatalytic activity (96.89 %) over the single component BaTiO3 and CeO2 photocatalysts with the initial oxytetracycline hydrochloride concentration, photocatalyst content and irradiation time were 100 mg/L, 1.5 g/L and 120 min, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of BaTiO3/20 wt% CeO2 heterojunction photocatalysts is ascribed to the cooperation between Ce3+ and Ce4+, improved charge transfer and separation of electron-hole pairs generated on irradiation with simulated sunlight and proper amount of surface defects or oxygen vacancies on the BaTiO3/CeO2 heterojunction photocatalysts.